A 12-year-old child in Kericho County can finally resume to normal life after successfully beating cancer with the help of Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko.
In a statement celebrating Baby Scandy Chelagat's 12th birthday, the governor disclosed that the child was completely healed of eye cancer despite being declared uncurable by Kenyan hospitals.
It all began in 2015 when the governor, through his Sonko Rescue Team, picked the child to accord her proper treatment in Nairobi's best hospitals.
Chelagat had a protruding tumour on her left eye which was reportedly attached to her brain making it complex for treatment.
"We tried our best to take her to all the good hospitals in Kenya just to try to save her life, but at some point, the doctors gave up on her and indicated that her chances of survival were very minimal and that she should be discharged to go back to her Kericho rural home," stated Sonko.
He then commenced the process of having the ailing child airlifted to India for treatment by processing the passport and that of the father.
In India, she underwent a 9-hour surgery which turned out successful and was put under observation for a period of one and a half years.
"We were very much touched because she hailed from a very very humble background hence we never gave up and hurriedly processed her travelling documents plus those of her dad who was a watchman in Kericho.
"Accompanied by our nurses, we airlifted them to Hyderabad, India where she underwent a 9-hour surgery conducted by a team of doctors. The cancerous tumour was successfully removed," stated Sonko.
"She was put under observation for one and a half years to monitor whether the cancer is completely healed. We glorify the name of the living God as 3 years down the line and after conducting numerous tests, cancer has completely gone and the girl fully healed," he added.
From her birthday photos, Chelagat is now a jovial girl in class six at Whitestar Academy in Lang'ata.
"We are now planning for an eye transplant for her so that she can regain her eyesight like other kids," he continued.
The number of cancer patients has been rising steadily according to the World Health Organisation with the number of deaths expected to increase by 45 per cent in 2030 from 2008's 7.6 million.
