Thousands of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates are sitting their final exams countrywide. As that is the case, Terry Charity, a girl from King David Secondary School in Juja is sitting exams while on oxygen support.
Terry who is from Kiambu County, is undergoing a completely different experience as she is forced to take her papers with the oxygen tubes fitted to aid her in breathing.
This has been her routine since the commencement of the exams a week ago. Terry relies solely on her parents Lucy Mumbi and Paul Njiru to fully prepare her each morning. Based on her condition Terry is picked up by a taxi to and from school each new day.
Charity’s school is located a few kilometres away from their area of residence at Sewage estate opposite Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Terry Health History
According to the media reports Terry is said to have developed health complications at birth as revealed by the father Paul Njiru. The condition stole from her the ability to walk.
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Owing to the situation Terry was enrolled on a special school while in primary. Despite her scoring high grades to enable her to join a prestigious school for her high school education, her condition limited her thus she opted to join the current school.
“She was born normally just like other children, but when it was time for her to start walking, we found out that she had a challenge. She was unable to walk,” the father narrated during a media interview.
Further, he said, “When the right time to take her to school came, we took her to school although she was in and off from school.”
However, when she was about to enter Form Four the challenge escalated and for the entire month of January Terry was hospitalized. Charity’s father recounts that the doctor highlighted that Terry could only be discharged with an oxygen machine to assist her in breathing while at home.
Terry continued staying in the hospital for the second month as the parents sought help in raising the funds to acquire the Oxygen machine and luckily enough, she was released in March.
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The Family Faces Financial Strains
Since March to date, Terry, who is the only child of Njiru and Mumbi has been fully reliant on oxygen therapy and other crucial treatment to stabilize her heart condition that requires continuous oxygen supply.
As such, filling the cylinder is done every three months at a fee of Ksh 5500. In addition, the machine relies on electricity to function, and it consumes much power which requires the parents to pay about Ksh 8000 each month for electricity bills.
Furthermore, medications also demand Ksh 8000 monthly as well as the monthly clinic checks where she has to be ferried by an ambulance that charges them each month Ksh 6000.
Susan Wambui, the Kiambu Huduma Center coordinator, has been calling on friends to support the family in this situation.
She is urging well-wishers to come forward and help cover Terry’s medical expenses, lightening the family’s burden and allowing this bright young student to succeed.
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