It's 3 months since Janet Kanini's death: George Ikua shares the experience without mother and wife

George Ikua is the husband to the late Janet Kanini, TV Property show host, who succumbed to lung cancer in March this year. In October 2015, she made the diagnosis public and kept updating Kenyans on her efforts fighting the disease through social media.

What has life been for the three months since Janet left?

Grieving is a very personal process. It's like a movie you watched and you remember everything about it. I shared 14 years with her and it is a huge vacuum that she left.

How is it like for Pedro and Jasmine without their mother?

Kids are from God. Jasmine is only 4, she is trying to understand what it means. It is difficult to answer her inquest on why her mother cannot come home for 10 minutes, say Hi, before she goes back to heaven. It is always hard when I have to tackle this question.

Pedro at that time was fairly older, he knew what happened. To him it's very painful. He is my son and we will walk through this journey together.

Have you been in such an experiences before?

I was with Janet when she lost her father to a similar ailment as the one that took her. I could not understand why she was so much affected at that time. Now it is on my side to handle it. Now I know and understand what losing someone so dear to you means.

How did you handle her after being diagnosed with cancer?

We were all strong personalities. She remains the strongest person I have ever met in the world. Janet wanted to write about her experiences. Writing was therapeutic to her. I was holding all the strings, keeping her with the hope, our kids, family…it was not easy.

What was your support system like as a father and husband?

I believe everything we get is out of all that we give. Everyone conspired to come and help me. A friend I had never seen for more than 23 years someday called me and gave me Sh70, 000 for Janet’s treatment. We have to live a life where we have to do something for other people.

Did you expect that kind of support you were accorded from strangers and Kenyans?

I've come to know good people exist. We had abandoned our young kids while in India for three months. It was in the second month that I had to return home and hustle. The perception people have of media personalities is not real, many think they have all the money they need. We were privileged to get such an overwhelming support.

Moment to remember during her ill health..

Doctors from India called me and asked us to send Sh1.2 million by Monday. We had raised not even a single shilling by that Thursday and it was a hard-hitting moment. On Monday, Kenyans through a radio show raised the money.

It was emotional, running a property show with her health state was not easy for her. It means one cannot be very productive.

I keep wondering how people survive. Her medication was very expensive. How did we even manage raising that kind of money in two years! It was a lot.

What have you been up to?

We started the Kanini 4 Africa Foundation, and I have been doing exactly what I promised to do for her. It was what she wanted to do.

It is all about talking about cancer, aiding its diagnosis and treatment through partnerships.

How do you manage doing this?

It is feasible. Kenyans are generous, I decided to use every leverage I have to do what my Wife had wanted to do for the last two years. We will in November have the Janet Stands With You event.

The foundation also seeks to support the training of oncologists and currently we have the Kanini 100 ongoing programme that will be giving support to 100 cancer patients annually

What would you say about the fighting cancer?

Janet had promised to do this, and I am doing it for her. If we stop panicking about cancer, we will save lives. People need to be informed, query doctors and experts on cancer, pray and believe.

Activity

Kanini 4 Africa Foundation held a Cycle Fest from Railways, around the CBD over the weekend and the Nairobi Women Hospital conducted cancer screening for participants.

RIP Janet Kanini Ikua.