By John Majau
33 year old Purity Nkatha’s life has been full of strong will and an indomitable spirit to win despite the odds in her way.
Nkatha had dropped out of Kisima Mixed Secondary School in 2006 after her stepfather, whom she was living with at that time, became abusive towards her. Nkatha’s mother took her to safety at her friend’s and to make ends meet, Nkatha did all sorts of work ranging from working in pubs to being a house help.
Her desire to pursue education never waned and she got lucky when, in 2018, gender activist Irene Kendi offered to enroll her back in school and fully pay her school fees. Nkatha had sent Kendi a message on Facebook after learning about Kendi’s work.
While Kendi paid Nkatha’s school fees, Nkatha’s husband, whom she married in 2013, took care of her other needs.
Determined not to fail those who had sacrificed a lot for her, Nkatha worked hard to excel in school and her work paid off when she scored B+ in 2020 KCSE.
But, all wasn’t rosy for her since just when she had thought she had surpassed the hardest part of it all, she developed lupus, an autoimmune disease that attacks body tissues and organs.
Nkatha, whose husband and friends raised part of her fees to enable her join Kenya Medial Training College (KMTC) for a nursing course, is now pleading for help to afford treatment and school fees.
The mother of one points out that it’s very costly to treat lupus.
“My husband takes care of my treatment and that has really strained his finances. He has even taken a small loan. I usually visit a Rheumatologist at Karen Hospital in Nairobi regularly for check-up and medical review. It is difficult to raise money for transport, a place to sleep, medicine and supplements. A visit costs an average of Shs 12, 000,” Nkatha said.
Even though it seems like a dark tunnel now, Nkatha refuses to accept defeat.
“Though others might think that I can’t come out of this, I want to prove them wrong. My story must have a happy ending,” said Nkatha, who added that visiting different hospitals has drained her physically, psychologically and financially.
“I really need support. I need people to hold my hands so that I can fulfill my dream of becoming a nurse so that I can also serve the community,” she said.
Dr Caroline Irungu, who attends to Nkatha, said Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect virtually any organ in the body.
“Since it’s a chronic disease, the aim of managing it is to reduce disease activity, prevent organ damage and improve survival. The disease occurs when the body’s immune system produces antibodies that attack health tissues. Its cause is not yet known,” she explained.
She went on to add that the disease is known to have a thousand faces because the symptoms differ from one person to another.
The symptoms include fatigue, joint pains, muscle aches, fever and skin rashes especially on the face to life or diseases affecting the kidney, blood cells, the heart and the central nervous system.
She explains that management of the disease include good diet and regular exercise, regular use of sunscreen for skin protection from UV light and supplements with Vitamin D.
“Medical therapy is determined by the severity of the disease and for symptomatic treatment. It also includes the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for joint pain.” She explained
