This Is Why Baby Emily Needs The Most Expensive Christmas Card Ever. From All Kenyans….Come With Me Please…And READ This.

When he first sent me that email,I will admit I didn’t even open it. Leave alone read it. On my line of duty,I receive many mails daily… Most of which,given that I am a showbiz blogger,center around music and the arts and the desire for publicity.

So when I received this mail,with a title about medical finds and stuff,I breezed through it. And opened the next mail telling me what I actually wanted to read; A new exquisite strip club along Ngong Road that was now hosting debauched lesbian nights every Friday evening.

That is what I love to read. Not appeals over medical or social issues…I thought.

But he didn’t relent. Realizing that I had not replied his earlier mail,he sent another. And another. And another.

In total,Kennedy Omondi had sent me roughly 8 mails over a period of three weeks all of which I had ignored before he decided to show up in the Ghafla office himself.

And at around 10.17am,someone walked right up to me,bent over and whispered ‘I want to talk to a writer….’

I looked him up quickly,pasted something I had already copied on the writing pad and minimized my computer window.

‘Ati? What do you want!? ‘

‘To speak to a writer. This is Ghafla right? ‘ he said in a soft voice,his politeness pouring out into the air.

‘Yes. It is Ghafla..’ I said pointing to Irari the Ghafla editor.

‘Talk to him. He’s the editor… ‘

Ken,clad in some sandals and a oversize shirt that clang over his bony body like a torn flag,walked over to the editor.

His face was gaunt and eyes tired. He carried with him a brown envelope and was wearing a pair of some faded blue jeans whose hem was tearing off and with a belt that had been wrapped and used way too many times.

I went back to my business… Back to typing some article I was working on before leaving for some other job.

I had barely typed a sentence before Ken,politely,walked right up to me again.

‘He’s told me to talk to you… ‘ he, again,whispered… His sorry eyes seeming to placate me. His voice pertinent and body language urgent.

‘Bro… I’m writing… What’s the issue please? Irari… You couldn’t solve this? ‘ I said,impatiently turning to Irari.

‘But he says he has been emailing you… ‘ Irari said,confused.

‘Fine. What’s the issue bro? What’s up? ‘ I asked,barely liking up from the computer,afraid my train of thought would be wrecked.

‘OK.. I’m Ken. Kennedy Omondi… I’ve sent you many emails… About a child who… ‘

‘Wait… You’re the one who’ve been sending me emails about some medical appeal thing!?’ I asked,looking at him.

‘Yes. It’s Me…’ he said. Smiling weakly and attempting to sit next to me.

‘Sure. Sit. Sit…. Wait… Can I first publish this article!? ‘ I asked,quickly pressing some keys.

‘Sure. Sure bro. No problem. Can I wait outside?’ He asked,rising up and wanting to walk out.

He seemed to think that he was a bother. An unwelcome intrusion. And a waste of everyone’s time.

‘No… No… No… Sit. Just sit… I’ll be with you in a minute… ‘ I said,pulling the chair towards him.

Sighing,he sank into the chair. His face sombre and I could almost feel the nervousness breaking out of him. Silently,he clutch on to the brown envelope… His fingers still fidgeting.

And in 10 minutes,I was done editing and publishing an article. And then I turned to him.

He managed a simple smile; one that still betrayed his sorrow and unease. His pain and anxiety.

And that’s when he started… He started telling me the story…

The story about the many times he’d attempted to reach me and get my attention for something that was now going out of control…

The story about how he’d been living with his little niece, who was now 1 and a half years old and who,to this minute,had not yet started eating or crawling or mumbling. And who also had not quit breastfeeding…

The story about her birth… And her name…

Emily is a young girl who has not yet seen her second birthday but is already more troubled and has been in and out of hospitals many times than I have in all of my years into adulthood…

I took a pen and paper… And let Ken talk on… His eyes close to welling up. And his face wearing a whole new mask of optimism and hope…

Little Emily was born on 28th May 2014 as the last born in a healthy but humble family of five . But after sometime,her doting parents Benedict Adongo and Linet Aketch noticed that the little girl’s growth was stunted…

She,for instance,wasn’t adding any kilos and even after six full months,she gained a measly 2 kilograms on top of the normal 3.4kg she was weighing at birth.

And at five months,Emily’s parents noticed her irregular breathing pattern which was accompanied with restlessness,acute respiratory distress and the fact that she had started becoming unusually hungry every so often.

This prompted them to seek advice from experienced mothers in their Radienya Village and unfortunately ,not much help was accorded in the village especially from these bunch of women who were evidently new to this condition and weren’t exactly experts on how to deal with such an occurrence.

The persistence in her unusual condition prompted her mother to visit the local hospital where she was referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and referral Hospital in Kisumu County.

At Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital,Little Emily was examined by the doctors who then referred the parents to a Christine Jowi,a renowned cardiologist.

Hoping against hope, Mr. and Mrs. Adongo were able to honor the appointment with Dr. Jowi at Hurlingham Hearts Clinic in Nairobi for further examination. And needless to say,the news was nothing better. Little Emily had a severe heart condition. It was officially stamped.

The news was a complete blow to the humble family of 7. Heart complications,they knew,were the worst news you could probably get regarding your child. And anyway,Little Emily was now officially suffering from a dreaded heart condition.

Emily could only be saved through open heart surgery which is not offered in Kenya.

Things were so bad that Dr. Jowi had to immediately write an Urgent Letter to Kenyatta Hospital… Outlining Emily’s struggles,manner of illness and calling for her urgent treatment. In India.

Here actually is a snippet of the long letter,riddled with cryptic medical jargon that Dr. Jowi drafted for the Kenyatta Hospital.

‘The above patient was referred to me from the Jaramogi Oginga Teaching and Referral hospital on 17/11/2014 for evaluation of a systolic murmur heard while she was undergoing treatment for bronchopneumonia in their facility.
When I saw her she was a sick looking child who was small for age with a weight of 5.3kg. She was diagnosed with systemic desaturations of 85-88% oxygen on room air……….Baby Emily suffers from complex congenital heart disease namely type 1 truncus arteriousus, large secundum atrial septal defect, with severe pulmonary hypertension…… Baby Emily requires urgent surgical intervention mainly open heart surgery which involves Homograft reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract and patch closure of the ventricular and atrial septal defect. This should be done on an urgent basis before irreversible pulmonary hypertension sets in…….Homograft surgery involves use of human tissue which we are unable to offer locally due to legislative constraints. It is with this in mind that I recommend surgery in India which is cheaper than other centres especially western countries……… ‘

‘Armed with that letter,we set off on our arduous journey of finding urgent treatment for this little one…. ‘ Ken continued,his voice now almost completely gone and looking tired of even narrating the whole story. Over and over again.

‘So what did you do next? After learning of her terminal condition?’ I asked,putting my notebook aside.

‘We embarked on an immediate plan to save her and her life… This year has been hell…

Her parents and I knocked on almost every door. We tried contacting Mike Sonko… Kidero… Uhuru Kenyatta. We approached each and every media house with this story… Hoping they’d listen and enable us raise the Ksh. 1.5 million needed for the heart surgery in India…

And to be very honest with you, all of these media houses ignored us except QTV and Family TV.

I took my story to QTV around June 2015 and they were welcoming. Dr. Jowi even accompanied me to QTV for the interview… I’ve never seen a more dedicated doctor… She has been like Emily’s mother since then…

And after we appeared on QTV,we were then connected to Family TV from where Emily’s story was told even further. And with those two interviews,we managed to raise as much as Ksh. 140,000. And that was the start of Emily’s healing. It was. It was….

‘So what exactly do you want Ken? What do you really want people to do for you!? ‘ I asked, puffing out and touched.

Ken told me what he needed. Told me that Emily needed a Christmas cheer. A Christmas card worth only Ksh. 1.5 Million. 
‘So you guys need Ksh. 1.5 million for Emily’s India trip and treatment?’

‘Yes… 1.5 million. ‘

‘Just that? ‘

‘Yes. Just that Cabu Gah. 1.5 million. That’s all….’.

Ken was now really almost speechless. Unsure whether he’d find help. Unsure whether I was the right person to be talking to. Unsure whether I would even follow up. Unsure I’d even bother do the article.

I looked at him hard and said in one resolve, ‘Ken,I am Cabu Gah. I used to run a Facebook page and 90% of what I did was raise funds. I don’t have the page no more. But we have God. And we have caring humans. If they care, they’ll change your daughter’s life. In a snap….’

Ken’s face lit up.

‘Yes. I mean it. It’s Christmas. Millions of Kenyans are about to spend thousands upon thousands of shillings in bars and clubs. Including me. We will set aside a few beers for your daughter this holiday. We will. I will…. ‘

Kenyans,I ask you, with a humbled heart and a deep conviction, to kindly step in for Emily.

She needs a Christmas cheer. A Christmas card. A Christmas gift…. Not just for this Christmas but for the rest of her life.

Baby Emily needs ONLY Ksh. 1.5 million for a surgery in India. 
I hadn’t planned to spend my Christmas with some strange girl I don’t even know. But I am forgoing a few beers, a few meals and a few clothes for her. 
I guess this is what Christmas means. And I have heeded the call of the Lord.

Heed it too,I ask. Heed it please.

‘Can you get me better photos of Emily? Clearer photos please? As soon as possible?’ I asked Ken before he left. “Yes. I am travelling to the village by Friday. Can you wait please?”

‘Sure. And all the best…’

To DONATE TO BABY Emily kindly use the M-PESA Paybill Number Medical Paybill No. 317111

Also,you can donate via Emily’s special medical BANK account which is Acc number: 10131301000369 Emily Atieno Adongo Medical Account. Bank is CONSOLIDATED BANK.

You can also reach and donate directly to her uncle,Kennedy Omondi directly via 0728629726

Little Emily needs a Christmas cheer. And a little Christmas smile. Give it to her please. I already have.

#Emily’sChristmasGift

Here,watch the sad video of the family on QTV…

{youtube}ofMbswqPi9Q{/youtube}