Umoja Woman With Spine Problem Undergoes 15 Surgeries, Needs KSh 2.5m For 3 Others In India

• Grace Maina is the face of pain, literally
• This is due to the fact that the last 10 years have been harsh to her since what started as abdomen pains, vomiting, and constipation turned out to be a spine problem
• During the painstaking period, she has undergone 15 surgeries but none has done much to help her get better
• She now desperately needs KSh 2.5 million to undergo three more surgeries in India hoping that, for once, she will walk away from the bed she's currently confined to

Looking at 38-year-old Grace Maina, it is difficult to imagine that less than 10 years ago she was a bubbly woman with a curvy figure.

That is long gone, and in its place is an emaciated woman whose flesh and skin have been ebbed away by disease.

She spends her days in bed, longing for the day she recovers to start rebuilding her life after losing out on nearly a decade.

Started with abdomen pains

In an emotional interview with TUKO.co.ke, the single mother of one indicated that her problems began with abdomen pains, vomiting, and constipation.

"I had spine problem in 2013 and underwent two laparoscopic surgeries. While on treatment, I started experiencing abdominal pain which was later diagnosed as a large hiatus hernia," she started.

It would be a development that kickstarted a journey dotted with one health complication after another, one that has seen her undergo 15 surgeries.

Despite the spirited attempts to correct Grace's condition, local health practitioners have not been successful.

Condition has affected Grace's daughter

At the moment, she cannot eat or drink as nothing settles in her abdomen given that her GIT system is a mess.

Grace, whose daughter is a Class Eight candidate this year, disclosed that it hasn't been easy on the youngster since she got sick when she was only four years old.

The development forced her to mature before her time and become the go-to home nurse for her ailing mother.

"Last year she was overwhelmed and started having suicidal thoughts but she's currently on therapy at KNH youth centre," Grace continued.

Needs 3 surgeries worth KSh 2.5m

What stands between the sickly woman and a new lease of life are three operations which can only be done in India at a cost of KSh 2.5 million.

For a lady who is bedridden and unable to hustle, the figure is out of this world, coupled with the fact that her family has already spent too much on her.

She survives on financial aid from her sisters and handouts from well-wishers who visit her once in a while.

"We have done so many fundraisers that people got tired to a point even some of my sisters gave up, but I understand them because none of them has a stable job," she lamented.

Grace is pleading with well-wishers to help her raise the money through Paybill 8053835, Account name Grace Maina.

Motorbike accident victim appeals for help

In another appeal story, a Nairobi woman who was involved in a motorbike accident recently requested the public to help her raise KSh 2m for her medical bills.

Hannah Wangari was heading to work in January when the motorbike she was on was involved in an accident.

For one month and two weeks, she was in the ICU at Mediheal Hospital but has since recovered and is set to resume her normal life.

That has, however, been impossible because she needs to pay a bill of KSh 2 million, out of which her family has only managed to raise KSh 500,000.