University of Nairobi (UoN) student Emmanuel Otieno alias Jadudi, who has been battling cancer succumbed on Monday evening.
Jadudi hit the social media circles in 2015 when Kenyans rallied up to raise Ksh6.4 million to accord him brain surgery in India.
Jadudi had been ailing from the chronic disease since 2012.
He came to the limelight after his story was posted online by writer Jackson Biko on August 4, 2015.
Following the blog post titled “That thing in Jadudi’s head,” Kenyans contributed the over Ksh6 million in less than two days for Jadudi’s medical bill.
So far, Jadudi’s battle with the cancerous brain tumor saw him undergo several surgeries. The initial target that Jadudi and his family had intended to raise was Ksh1 Million.
The money enabled Jadudi, who was by then suffering from Grade III Ependymoma, fly to Chennai, India for treatment. He was subject to a four-hour surgery at the Apollo Hospital.
It was only several months after the successful surgery in India that Jadudi was diagnosed with another brain tumor in 2016.
Jadudi’s death comes a year after his family together with Africa Cancer Foundation (AFC) appealed to Kenyans, who raised funds and facilitated his trips to India, to help ferry hi back home, support his palliative care and clear a developed Ksh1.2 Million hospital bill.
According to AFC managing director Dorothy Nyong’o, the brain surgery for Jadudi was unsuccessful; leading to the recurring condition as well as subsequent infections.
Following the news of his demise, Kenyans took to social media to condole with the family.