Emily Nafula: Beneficiary of AirKmay
“Life lost meaning, but I am a warrior.”
Emily,35 years old stared in disbelief at the nurse after she was given the results of her diagnosis. The nurse gestured at her to get into the Doctor’s office.
“ I sat on that bench pensively, as I firmly held onto the piece of paper with the results of the tests. Everything seemed to be upside down. I have heard of the word cancer many times but I have never paid any attention. To me, the diagnosis meant there was no hope for tomorrow,” she narrated to me.
Emily says the doctor informed her that she had developed cancer and that it was at a very complicated phase and there was the need to have it managed.
In despair, she consoled herself that all will be well and decided to seek help from friends to start her medication on time. Feeling rejected, the stigma started taking a toll on her with rejection from her very own friends and family which brought a new norm to embrace.
She says she learned late of her cancer when it was at stage 4. For a year from the date of diagnosis, she had been ailing and receiving medication for hormonal imbalance which was a wrong diagnosis.
“ I had been on therapy and medication for close to a year treating a wrong type of cancer. I experienced mixed emotions on the actual diagnosis. I was angry at everything,” she narrates.
That was before she learned of the Airkmay organization, an organization dedicated to the empowerment of vulnerable families and support to the needy to achieve sustainable self-reliance.
Emily was introduced to the Airkmay Organization by Elizabeth, one of the many volunteers in the organization. Through engagements and sharing, she opened up and her predicament landed on listening ears. With compassion and concern, the Airkmay organization embraced her fully and created an online fundraising platform, Go fund Me; https://www.gofundme.com/f/EmilyNChepkwony. Through this platform, she was able to raise $2,511 which enabled her to access treatment in India. She further benefited from counseling, social compassion from AK bridging the gap of loneliness that had engulfed her. She had a shoulder to lean on.
“ My life took a different turn upon receiving financial support through Airkmay. I felt like I had been given a new lease of life once again. It reached a point I was almost giving up because of the pain of what I was going through, medical expenses, and at one point loneliness crept in and became part of me!” She recounts.
For Emily, Cancer threw her into a solitary quiet world of sad emotions strongly bonded with fear of no hope for tomorrow; death. The chill occasioned by the name “cancer” drove her into a state of self-denial. It was hard for her to believe that she had come into a physical encounter with this deadly disease.
Having received donations from the organization, Emily was privileged to get better medical care and by the grace of God through spiritual nourishment, she emerged a warrior and survived cancer.
With a lot of humble appreciation, she said in a meek voice, “I am thankful to Airkmay Organization for their generous contribution towards my treatment, emotional and psychological support. They centered on me wholly and I was able to get medicine and all the support I desperately needed. I will forever be grateful and indebted to them.”
After such a noble experience, Emily has so far been an ambassador of the organization, urging those in need to open up and will indeed get help from the organization. With boldness, she highly recommends the organization to anyone and will do her best to volunteer too and help others within her reach.
AirKmay is still following up on her journey and will keep you posted on her progress.
By Gloria Nyairo, airkmay@gmail.com 2020
Emily Updates (March 2021)
As the world was celebrating the New Year, Emily was found unconscious in her house and was rushed to the hospital in Nairobi. After investigations, she was told that cancer had recurred and that now she had a brain tumor. She has currently undergone 2 cycles of Chemotherapy and is due for a Petscan in a month. At the same time, she has been recommended for urgent treatment in India in April 2021. She is expected to raise Ksh. 3,500,000/ $35,000 for this cause. AirKmay is reaching out to her by providing psychosocial support, food items, and supporting her to raise money through her Gofund page (highlighted above) and/ through mobile platforms (Paybill Number: 8020397, Account Number: Your Name) and is calling you to extend a hand to support her in this journey.
Emily Updates (June 2021)
Thanks to family, AK, and well-wishers, Emily traveled to India in June 2021 for her treatment where they treated her brain tumor and conducted surgery on her liver. She is currently in India, undergoing treatment (targeted chemotherapy) for USD. 2400 per session among other treatments. She needs at least six sessions. We are appealing to you to support her to raise USD 20,000 to cater for her treatment. Kindly see her Gofund page and the pay bill number highlighted above.
Emily Updates (August 2021)
It is with deep sorrow and sadness that we would wish to inform you that Emily went to be with the Lord while undergoing treatment in India. We thank you for all your prayers and support throughout her journey. The family is appealing to the public to support clear her medical bills, transport her body back home and give her a good send-off. Kindly use her Gofundme page or Paybill 8020397 Account Number: Your Name.
By Gloria Nyairo, airkmay@gmail.com August 2021