One of the Coast region top performers in the 2018 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) Mary Mutua, has succumbed to cancer.
The former Star of the Sea primary school who had scored 415 marks out of the possible 500 marks could not live to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor after succumbing to cancer on Tuesday.
The 14 years Mutua was discovered with bone-marrow cancer few weeks to her KCPE exams. However, she managed to top her class when the results came out, which earned her a slot at Bunyore girls, Vihiga County.
Unfortunately, the bright girl could not join form one after doctors said she had to begin medication immediately.
Kenyans were moved by her lack of funds to facilitate her treatments. They chipped in and helped in raising over Sh700,000 for her medication.
She was taken to India for treatment but later returned to Kenya after they depleted the money they had.
She again commenced another chemotherapy at the Aga Khan Hospital, Mombasa, and had shown some signs of improvement to a level of helping her parents run their small family business.
Things got worse, and on 17th May 2019, she was rushed to Coast Province General Hospital where she was admitted, and at this stage, she had developed several other complications. Her level of blood had also dropped.
“An ambulance came and rushed her to the ICU at 11 pm on Monday. But at the casualty area, while waiting for the doctor, she started having breathing problems so they gave her oxygen.
"The doctor told me her heart had swollen and that her lungs had fluid. As they prepared to take her to ICU, she died peacefully." said the deceased's father Mr Josephat Mutua as quoted by Nation
She died on Tuesday in the evening. Her body is at the Pandya Memorial Hospital mortuary.
The family which is based in Mikindani, is asking well-wishers to help in raising the outstanding Sh1.3 million hospital bill.