While life is known to many as a miracle, only women who have delivered can reveal the true pain behind the at times very tough journey that has seen many sacrifice their lives and leave behind newborns in the world.
For 30 weeks, a mother of two Grace Nyabera’s pregnancy was a beautiful memory until 34 year old Grace had a preeclampsia attack that welcomed nightmare in her’s and her family’s life.
The family is currently struggling to raise more than Sh 10 million to clear a huge hospital bill for the child who is still in nursery and mother, who died from the pregnancy-related illness.
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Preeclampsia is a condition during pregnancy that is characterized by high blood pressure and sometimes multiple organ failure.
On December 18 last year, the mother of two from Buruburu in Nairobi developed an unusually high blood pressure, which threatened her life and that of her baby.
At Nairobi Hospital where she was taken, doctors recommended an emergency caesarean section, to save her and the child.
She delivered a healthy baby girl, weighing 1.3 kilogrammes. The baby, Eliana Nyabera, was put in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to develop fully, having been born 10 weeks early.
While recuperating in hospital, Grace, an employee of Strathmore Climate Innovation Centre, developed complications that caused her kidneys to fail. She was admitted to the hospital’s ICU.
Grace responded well to treatment and was transferred to the general ward after three days. She was later discharged on December 26. Her baby though remained in NICU.
Grace later suffered a cardiac arrest and was readmitted to the ICU. She died on Monday last week. The family has established a Pay Bill number 991129, account name Grace Akello medical fund, for those who wish to assist.