Nakuru Family Struggling to Fuel Mother’s Oxygen Support Machine Appeals for Help
- Jane Ruto, who lives in Kiptagich ward in Kuresoi South sub-county, has depended on an oxygen support machine to breathe for a year now after her lungs failed
- The machine consumes a lot of power, a situation that is often worsened by regular power outages, which forced her family to buy a generator as a backup
- They are now appealing for help to purchase a portable and affordable oxygen cylinder, which could offer a more reliable and cost-effective solution for their mother’s critical condition
Nakuru: A family in Irongo village, Kiptagich ward in Kuresoi South sub-county has been forced to use up to 10 litres of fuel every 12 hours to power a generator to support their ailing mother suffering from lung failure due to unstable power supply in the area.
Source: Original
Jane Ruto, an elderly woman, has been battling lung failure for some time and has been in and out of hospitals seeking treatment.
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Locals donated different equipment needed for the oxygen support, including a generator to help the family sustain her health.
According to the woman’s son, David Mutai, she has been using the generator to sustain the oxygen concentrator when power fails.
How Nakuru woman found out her lungs had failed
Mutai narrated that his mother’s condition initially started as a normal cough, but when he took her to Longisa sub-county hospital in Bomet, they were informed that her lungs had failed.
Doctors advised that they purchase an oxygen concentrator to sustain her. They bought the machine, but it has been expensive to sustain it with a generator due to regular power outages.
“When I pay for electricity tokens for KSh 500, it gets depleted within three days because of continuous use on the machine. In such a situation, we resort to using the generator, which consumes a lot and drains us,” he said.
Struggles of Nakuru woman on oxygen support machine
He recalled a time when they had no power for over a week, a period the family also had a university student who was to sit for the exams. He was forced to forego the exams so that they could use the little resources they had to fuel the generator.
Source: Original
Sometimes, they are supported by neighbours who contribute to the purchase of fuel.
“The situation has taken a toll on my mental state. The demand is overwhelming as balancing between the life of my mother and the needs of my family is a struggle. I am trying to catch up with,” he noted.
The family also struggles to get gas cylinders that could facilitate the woman’s movement to the clinic.
They were also advised to move her to a house that has no smoke.
“The situation of this family is not good, and as such, because of her condition, they had to house her in a different house away from her to ensure she is not exposed to the triggers,” revealed Stella Chemutai, a neighbour.
According to the ailing woman, her condition has worsened because of exposure to cold weather in Kiptagich. She’s now contemplating going back to her childhood village in Sigor, Bomet county.
“When I came here, I was not badly off, but the condition here has taken me down over the years. I wish I had known earlier, I would have gone back,” she said.
The family is now appealing for help to purchase a portable and affordable oxygen cylinder, which could offer a more reliable and cost-effective solution for their mother’s critical condition.
Machakos man kicked out of late father's land
Elsewhere, TUKO.co.ke reported about an incident where a young man from Tala, Machakos county, is now forced to live in the streets after he was allegedly kicked out of his late father's land.
Samson Muli claims his relatives kicked him out of the land after the death of his father.
Muli further accused the said relatives of seeking to inherit the land.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke
Elijah Cherutich A trained Kenyan journalist with over 10 years of experience in radio and digital media. I am currently based in Nakuru city in the Rift Valley region working as a TUKO.co.ke correspondent.
