Mombasa based journalist Fatma Rajab is appealing to wellwishers to help her undergo valve replacement heart surgery.
Through her family, the 26 year old reporter with Mombasa based radio station MoRadio was on Thursday rushed to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH) after she started vomiting blood, she was admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) todate.
According to the CGTRH ICU resident medical doctor Hassan Ali, Fatma suffers rheumatic heart disease, a condition triggered by parmanent damage of the heart valves due to rheumatic fever.
Dr Ali says Fatma’s heart valves are deformed, a situation she has bravely battled since she was 14.
It took the efforts of Kadzandani MCA Fatuma Swaleh Mote famously known as Fatuma Kushe and the family to rush the ailing journalist to the largest Coast health facility on Thursday where she was admitted to the ICU.
Kushe noted that the wellbeing of the journalist was paramount.
“Let her get the urgent quality treatment she deserves as we source for money so that we foot the hospital bill, this amounts to humanity,” noted the MCA.
Critical ill
Dr Ali revealed that Fatma was very sick when she was admitted at the hospital, with low blood pressure and breathing complications.
“However, we have stabilised her, her blood pressure is normal, she gained conscious and she is very alert. However, she will remain in the ICU until she is ready for the valve replacement heart surgery,” said Doctor Ali.
Fatma’s father Rajab Simenze told journalists at the hospital on Friday that her third born was first taken to India for valve replacement heart surgery in 2014, medication journey that forced the family to sell their house to foot the treatment costs.
“It has been a tough journey for my daughter that’s why we are appealing to her colleagues in the media sector, political leaders, the Muslim community and any other wellwisher to help us save our daughter’s life,” said Mr Simenze.
Fatma’s mother Mwanatumu Abdallah noted that because they did not immediately discover what their daughter was suffering from, they thought it was the food they were served in high school.
“Because she started ailing while in form two, we thought it was the food they ate in school and we always provided her with lots of fruits whenever she is at home, little did we know that she suffered damaged heart valves,” added the pained mother.
Though the treatment was to cost a whopping 1.8 million shillings at a Nairobi hospital where they were referred to, Dr Ali says at the Coast General Teaching and referral Hospital, the valve replacement heart surgery will cost less than 1 million shillings.
Humanity
Daily Nation reporters Ms Mkamburi Mwawasi and Winnie Atieno on Friday mobilised Mombasa based journalists who donated blood to enable doctors conduct the surgery, since the doctors needed more than 7 pints of blood to stabilise the patient.
The journalists are currently fundraising to save the life of their ailing colleague who worked for an Islamic based radio station, Radio Salaam before she joined MoRadio as News reporter.
[The family has provided Paybill no. 200999-Account no. 0771250013068 for wellwisher’s contributions].
