Blog

The true story of Aphline, Kenya

- Case ID: 1075

- Name: Aphline Awuor

- Age: 3 y.o.

- Diagnosis: Severe malaria, Gastroenteritis, Upper respiratory tract infection

- Residence: Ung’oma, Uradi – Siaya, Kenya

- Cost: 70$

- Poverty score: 141

- Urgency score: 24

- Admission date: 18.04.2024

- Discharge date: 22.04.2024

- Volunteer: Emmanuel Obare
Family & Child’s Story:

Aphline is a 3yr old who finds joy in dancing with her fellow children. She would like to be a teacher when she grows up.

About a day prior, she had complained of a headache. Her mother reports that she also had a fever, diarrhea and vomiting. On the day she was brought to the hospital, she had had an episode of convulsions.

“I was tilling land at one of the areas where I till land occasionally and get money to buy food, when I saw one of my children running towards me in a haste. This scared me and I stopped tilling as I waited for the child to come nearby and tell me what the problem was. I had left the children in the house alone since their mother had also gone to run other errands. My child told me that Aphline was very sick and she had convulsed. I immediately dropped the hoe and ran home. I did not even had time to inform the owner of the land that I was tilling that I was living. I arrived home at the same time Aphline’s mother arrived. One of my sons had rushed to where she was to inform her too that Aphline was sick,” Aphline’s father.

They live in a semipermanent house. The roof of the house is made of corrugated iron sheets; they are rusted. The house itself is 2-roomed. They draw water from a borehole that is used by the market people; and they have to queue for long hours since several people use this water. The water is sold at Kshs 5/- for a jerrycan of 20 litres. They do not have electricity in their house but use solar energy to listen to the radio.

3 year old girl Natalia is her mother's only child. She likes dancing and singing...Always active in class as the mother reports. She is in kindergarten baby class and is only learning how to hold a pen and scribble.

They live few kilometers from The hospital.

Natalia complained of having fevers, was coughing and had general body weakness the mother reports. She kept holding her head with her tiny little hands and saying ‘hot’. The mother also reported that Natalia looked weak and dull for the past 2 days.

“My house is in the market place that neighbors the hospital. I live in a rental house, in the market place,” says Aphline’s father. “It is a one bedroomed house and I live here with Aphline, Aphline’s siblings and their mother. Life is really hard so the little we have, we use for meals and to pay for shelter, that is the house rent. We use the county government toilets that are used by everyone else who work in the market as well as everyone else who comes to the market. My house is not connected to electricity supply. We listen to the radio just to get to know what happens around the country and the world; we paid the radio with instalments at the company that sold it to us and it uses solar. The radio has a small solar panel that keeps it charged after putting the solar panel under the sun. We walk more than 30mins to the water source which is a stream far down the village.”

How they got to know Helpster:

“I heard about Helpster Charity from one of my neighbours who, not only once, but twice, on two different occasions, had her child treated at Helmi Jonas Health Centre and the bill paid by the organization”, said Aphline’s mother. “I was not sure about the criteria that the organization uses to treat the child, and when my child fell ill and I had no money, I rushed to my neighbour just to confirm whether I can go to the hospital without any money and whether the organization will help me and she assured me that they will”

Diagnosis, medical conditions and doctor’s opinion:

About a day prior, she had complained of a headache. Her mother reports that she also had a fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. On the day she was brought to the hospital, she had had an episode of convulsions.

Aphline was diagnosed with severe malaria with febrile convulsions, gastroenteritis and upper respiratory tract infection. The gastroenteritis had caused her body to be moderately dehydrated.

The doctor was certain that Aphline was going to improve. He expressed his gratitude to Helpster Charity because now the children were not coming to the hospital in a critically ill state after having stayed at home for look as their parents searched for the money to have them treated.

Treatment Outcomes:

Aphline spent days in the hospital as an inpatient, on antimalarials and antibiotics. By the time she was being discharged, she was no longer vomiting and was able to retain anything that she ate. She progressed well to healing.

After treatment story:

Aphline is happy to be back home. It is evident from the way she runs around with glee and plays with her siblings and her neighbours.

The volunteer found Aphline playing outside with her friends. She is back to her healthy self.

“Thank you very much Helpster Charity, may you live long to help other needy children like Aphline”, Aphline’s father.