Baringo father's undying care for son with chronic illness

In August 2017, Musa Yatich, 33, from Kasiryo village in Baringo North and his wife were elated when they received their second-born son at the Baringo County Referral Hospital, Kabarnet.

However, their joy was short-lived. Four months later, baby Nathan was severely ill and he was taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Eldoret, where he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition that occurs when cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain.

The extra fluid widens the ventricles and puts pressure on brain tissues. For Mr Yatich, an Eldoret-based taxi driver, things would soon take a turn for the worse, as he was the sole breadwinner of his family, despite his meagre earnings.

The baby was booked for head surgery and he parted with more than Sh140,000. “The baby fell sick when he was four months old. When we took him to MTRH, the medics explained that some fluid had accumulated in his brain and the only way to remedy the situation was through surgery, which he underwent successfully in December the same year,” explains Mr Yatich.

Two months later, he says, he had not recovered from the first surgery. They had to take him back to the facility, where the doctors recommended a thorough check-up to ascertain why the baby was still sick. He underwent some tests, including the CT scan and MRI. It was discovered Nathan had a growth in his brain stem.

“Again, we were told that he had to undergo another surgery to remove the growth, which was the main reason for the accumulation of fluid in his brain. After the second surgery, which cost more than Sh160,000, he was taken into the intensive-care unit (ICU) at the Mediheal Hospital, Eldoret, because the one at MTRH was full at the time,” says the distraught father.

The baby spent eight days in the ICU and another week in the general ward as he recuperated. Mr Yatich ended up paying more than Sh300,000 for the two weeks the son was hospitalised. He says his income could not cater for the huge medical bills and meet other family needs, including rent. He had to rely on relatives, friends and well-wishers for his son’s medication and other needs.

Further agony

His woos, however, escalated when his son failed to present milestones required of any child, including sitting, crawling and walking, meaning he had another burden as the baby needed specialised care. After one year, the son further developed eye problems. They dried up and could not generate tears.

“It was not easy for me because it meant parting with more money for his treatment. We went again to MTRH, but the condition of one eye worsened after it formed a wound. This forced me again to look for more money so that I could take him to an eye specialist in Sabatia, Vihiga County.”

All this while, the father of four hoped to see his son lead a normal life. “Despite challenges with finance, I did not lose hope in making sure that my son fully recovers from the sickness. I sought help from friends and relatives whose support came in handy,” he tells Nation.Africa.

Baby Nathan underwent minor surgery on the right eye that had developed a wound. In the process, the left eye started having tears. The father was instructed to use artificial tear drops on the damaged right eye, which the five-year-old still uses.

The boy is partially blind and confined to a wheelchair as he neither walks nor sits on his own. He undergoes physiotherapy twice a week. “Because of the hydrocephalus condition, all his nerves were affected. He cannot walk, the neck is not strong and the hands and legs are also weak,” Mr Yatich says.

It has not been a walk in the park, he says, citing the high cost of Nathan’s medication, food and other necessities, including pampers. “These are the challenges I have been grappling with for the last five years, to provide for my family, especially baby Nathan, who needs specialised care, including food, which must be soft for easy digestion.”

Sh1 million used so far

Since they started the frequent visits to hospitals, he has spent close to Sh1 million, he says.

In 2020, his world almost crumbled when his wife, who could not cope with the challenges, left with their last-born. The situation became unbearable. Mr Yatich could not juggle his work with taking care of Nathan and his two siblings left behind. He had to quit working for one week to take care of the children. But this had its toll on his finances. He took to social media and pleaded for help, saying he was on the verge of giving up.

“This is the hardest time of my life. This is the time that depression will kill me. I am losing hope in this life. I am only worried about my son, who is currently blind and paralysed because of sickness. Now that I am staying at home, I don’t know where I will get medicine, food and other necessities for him as he depends on me for virtually everything,” said Mr Yatich in his long post on Facebook at the time.

Also read: Living with a sick child

The experience was not for the faint-hearted, he recalls. He then resorted to looking after the children during the day, and going to work at night.

“The two other children were going to school. So I used to prepare them in the morning and release them, then I nurse the sick boy in the daytime. At night after ensuring they had eaten and slept, I left for work until 2am so that I could get money for rent and other needs.”

For the first one month, he could not get enough money for their needs, including food, given that he was working for a few hours. He, therefore, enlisted the help of his sister, who looked after the children for another month as he hustled. His wife came back and he relieved his sister.

“Despite my son being physically challenged, I love him so much and I have faith that he will one day walk and play like his peers. I want to be part of his journey. I will walk with him no matter what,” says the father, fighting back tears.

Gratitude

However, despite the challenges, he says he has learnt that society still has many good people, thanking his family and friends for standing by him during his hour of need.

“I could not have managed to raise close to a million shillings for my son’s treatment on my own. People whom I cannot even name came to my aid. It is also good to work hard despite the challenges.

“You cannot just sit there and expect to be assisted every time because you will end up being a burden to people,” says Mr Yatich, urging parents, especially fathers, not to abandon children with special needs.

“Such children can recover fully if they get the recommended treatment and care and may even come and help others in the future. It is my prayer that every parent with such children should treat them as a treasure. They are special beings, I must say.”

His main challenge remains finance. Out of his taxi work, he gets a meagre income, which cannot sustain the needs of his family and ailing son.

Mr Yatich, who holds a diploma in purchasing and supplies and a higher diploma in entrepreneurship development, prays that he can get a better income so that he can take care of his family, especially the boy, who still needs special care.

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