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The Nairobian

Clock ticks away as mother clings on hope in battle to save baby Wairimu

Health & Science

By Maryann Muganda | Jul 04, 2024

**Doctors say baby Arianna Wairimu needs to undergo an urgent bone marrow transplant in India before July 5, 2024, to save her life.** [Courtesy]

As an unimaginable adversity stays, Teresa Ndungu's world has been turned upside down.

Watching helplessly as her 11-month-old daughter, Arianna Wairimu, once a bundle of joy, battle a rare and deadly condition, makes her heart bleed.

As every mother who draws satisfaction, inspiration and liberation in watching her baby blossom into a healthy toddler, teenager and adult, Teresa now feels like these could be slipping through her fingers

Baby Wairimu suffers from bone marrow failure syndrome, a diagnosis that has left her dependent on regular blood and platelet transfusions.

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Doctors have delivered a heart-wrenching ultimatum: without an urgent bone marrow transplant in India, Wairimu may not survive beyond July 5, 2024.

The cost of hope is staggering Sh6 million.

For Teresa, a woman of modest means, the amount seems impossibly out of reach. In her desperation, she even considered selling her own kidney.

"I've never imagined having that kind of money," Teresa says. "But that is the figure doctors quoted. They added that the condition can only be treated in India."

The journey to this critical point began in October 2023 when Baby Wairimu's appetite began to wane. Despite visits to multiple hospitals and receiving various treatments, her condition deteriorated. By November, Wairimu had undergone seven blood and three platelet transfusions.

Through the generosity of well-wishers, Teresa and Wairimu managed to travel to India on May 17, 2024, after raising half the required amount. The hospital admitted Wairimu under the condition that the balance be cleared by July 5.

Currently, Wairimu is in the ICU undergoing treatment. Teresa has raised 4 million shillings so far but still needs 2 million more to ensure completion of her daughter's treatment.

"The biggest moment of motherhood has turned into a nightmare," Teresa says, her faith unwavering despite the odds. As a devout Christian, she continues to pray for a miracle while working tirelessly to raise the remaining funds.

As the clock ticks away, Teresa holds onto hope, fighting with everything she has for her daughter's life.