Friends and relatives of Maximillah Onchoke, a student at Maneno University, are yet to come to terms following her death at Better Living Hospital on Saturday.
Ms Onchoke, an alumni of Sironga Girls, was admitted at the facility a couple of months ago after she was diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis.
At first, her sister Lornah narrates, she was admitted at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi and Nairobi West before being moved to KNH due to limited resources. She was eventually taken to Better Living Hospital.
For months, she had been under life support at BLH until she breathed last on Saturday, causing anguish among her friends and family.
"She has been under treatment for Deep Vein Thrombosis which culminated into pulmonary embolism. She had difficulties in breathing for several days now," she said in a phone interview.
She added: "So sad that she had to leave us this early. We thought she could have managed. We had limited resources perhaps this could have not happened."
Maseno University Nyamira Students leader Abuya Abuya said Maximillah's condition was frightening, adding that it was unfortunate that their contributions could not help.
"She was a top student in procurement. We tried our best to fundraise but our efforts could not bear fruits. It's a dark day for us," he said on Sunday.
According to Dr Bosire Ombati of Nyamira, DVT is a clot in veins of legs and at times it can loosen lodge in someone's lungs thus causing difficulty in breathing.
With time, he adds, the cloting blocks arteries in the heart eventually leading to pulmonary embolism. He says DVT leads to Pulmonary Embolism.
"DVT is a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the legs, it is serious because blood clots can loosen and lodge in the lungs. Leg pain or swelling may occur, but there may be no symptoms. The Pain areas include the foot, in the calf, or leg. Its management include using compression stocking, blood thinners and management of any blood conditions that may be the activating factors," he said in a text.
"PE (pulmonary embolism) is a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot.Most times, a pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots that travel from the legs, or rarely, other parts of the body (deep vein thrombosis or DVT). So in short PEs are caused by DVTs," added Dr Ombati.
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