There is no greater love than this!

Johnson Mwiti could not help but notice the lovely young woman who would cheerfully serve him whenever he went to fuel his employer’s car.

“I became a regular customer, just to see her, and then one day, I asked her out for lunch,” he says.

Doreen Kawira had also noticed Mwiti, and was attracted by his cool nature. After a couple of lunches, they started dating.

“I liked that he was dependable - he kept his word, and was also very caring and attentive to me,” Kawira says.

Sure that this was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, he proposed just four months after their first date. She accepted, and he took her to meet his mother. When they got his mother’s blessings, he then proceeded to meet her parents, who had no reservations about their friendship.

The couple moved in together in 2004, and later solemnised their union in church, in 2008.

“Our marriage was good. My husband is a kind man, and would do anything within his ability to keep me happy,” Kawira says, with an easy laugh that seems to come naturally.

In 2010, Mwiti started getting constant headaches which would not go away, even after taking pain killers. When he went to hospital, he was diagnosed with high blood pressure and put on medication.

“At the time, my salary was barely enough to provide for my family and also pay for my medication. My illness became a burden.”

To manage this additional burden, the couple decided that Kawira would move to their small farm in the village, with their four children, and start farming, to supplement their income.

“We would talk daily. He would visit us on most weekends and over the school holidays, the children and I would join him in the city.”

But they were still struggling, and sometimes, Mwiti would skip medication to make ends meet. During one of his weekend visits to the village, Kawira noticed that his face and feet were swollen.

When she pointed this out, he brushed her concern aside. One day, during their usual telephone calls, he mentioned that he could not see properly, but reassured Kawira that it could be the after-effects of his medication.

She went to visit him in the city soon afterwards, only to find him bedridden, his entire body swollen, his sight almost gone. She immediately rushed him to Kenyatta National Hospital, where he was admitted.

After a couple of tests, it was revealed that he had Kidney disease.

“End-stage renal disease”, my test results read. The ominous words; End-Stage, sounded quite scary, but I was hopeful that since there was a diagnosis, then the disease could be treated.”

But his hopes were dashed when his doctor disclosed the devastating truth about his condition. There was no cure for end-stage renal disease. His kidneys had completely failed, and he had only two options; dialysis for life, which could not guarantee a quality life, and would drain him financially, or a kidney transplant.

It was a confusing time for the couple. Mwiti was the sole breadwinner, they had four young children, their youngest still breastfeeding. What would they do?

He stayed in hospital for a month, undergoing dialysis until he was well enough to be discharged. But there was a problem. The hospital bill had run to Sh400, 000, too much for this police officer’s payslip to settle.

“We had moved into the private wing of KNH early on after my diagnosis because it was the only way I could have accessed immediate dialysis care, but my job group did not allow my medical provider to offset a bill from the private wing,” he explains.

Though he had been discharged, he could not be released until this bill was settled. His National Hospital Insurance Fund, (NHIF) cover offset only 10 per cent of the bill. Desperate, Kawira called their close friends and relatives, who readily chipped in, but the money was not enough to secure Mwiti’s release from hospital.

'I WAS IN TURMOIL'

“I was in turmoil. I would wander the corridors of KNH with our young baby on my back, scrolling through my phone, calling anyone I could think of. We had become beggars, relying on hand outs. Even getting bus fare to hospital everyday was a problem, not forgetting our children needed food,” Kawira recalls.

She says that her mother was her greatest source of strength during that trying period. When she realised that she would not be able to clear the balance, Kawira went to see Mwiti’s senior bosses and explained her predicament. One of them arranged for a meeting with the then Police Commissioner, Mathew Iteere, who patiently listened to her. She could hardly believe it when she walked out of his office with a letter of undertaking, which immediately released her husband from hospital.

He had to attend dialysis clinics twice a week though, and adhere to a strict diet and continue with medication. However, his condition continued to deteriorate, and by the end of 2012, he could no longer pass urine.

“By then, he was unable to walk or stand for more than a minute. I felt distraught, scared that I was losing my husband,” Kawira says, reaching out to hold her husband’s hand. He instinctively takes her hand and covers it with both of his.

 “I was in turmoil, because I knew that I would never find another man who could love me or our children the way he did.”

The helplessness she felt was unbearable. It was clear that Mwiti was dying, and even he saw it.

“If I leave, please take care of our children. I feel as if the end is near,” he would sometimes tell her.

“There was no joy in our home anymore. We still relied on him financially, even though he was bedridden. Our children would go to him and ask for money to buy something, like they had been used to all their life. He did not have the money, but would promise to get it soon, and then he would turn away so that they would not see his tears.”

For food, they relied on both their mothers, though sometimes, other relatives and friends would help them out.

One day, they got a call from Mwiti’s brother. He had volunteered to donate one of his kidneys! They did not waste time.

The family organised a fund-raising in December 2012, which raised Sh500, 000, sufficient to carry out the procedure at KNH. But there was a hitch.

HEART BREAKING PHONE CALL

There was a long waiting list, and the earliest Mwiti could have the procedure done was in a year’s time! But that did not deter them. Mwiti’s brother underwent all the necessary tests, and as luck would have it, the operation date was pushed forward.

But then came a heart-breaking phone call from home.  Mwiti’s brother had changed his mind. He was no longer willing to be the kidney donor.

Mwiti’s condition was now in a critical state. They had also used up most of the Sh400, 000 they had raised on the medical tests for Mwiti’s brother.

One morning in August 2013, Kawira woke up early, prayed like she usually did, took a bath and dressed. She then informed Mwiti that she was going to look for a job.

“We did not have food, and I felt it was time I became the helper that my husband needed. We lived at the Embakasi police lines, and the nearest place of employment that came to mind was the airport,” Kawira says.

She simply walked into the heart of JKIA, only to be arrested because she had wondered into a controlled access zone. She broke down and told the security officer who had stopped her, her story, and how desperately she needed a job. He took her to his manager, and they both contributed money, which was adequate to buy her family food for a week. Even better, she was offered a cleaning job, and asked to start the following day.

It was while working at the airport that Kawira noticed some arriving passengers wearing dust masks. Out of curiosity, she asked one of them why he had it on. He informed her that he had just undergone a Kidney transplant in India. Without hesitation, Kawira shared her husband’s story and asked for more information.

Her inquisitive nature paid off, because she also learned that a doctor from India was in the country. She got the doctor’s contact and met him. She had with her Mwiti’s medical documents.

“We had no money and no donor, but I met him anyway. It was during this meeting that I learned even I could donate my kidney, that not only blood relatives could.”

She could hardly believe the good news, especially because she and her husband shared the same blood group.

She immediately called him, and told him that if doctors gave her the go ahead, she would donate her kidney to him – he abruptly said no. Undeterred, she called her mother and told her what she intended to do, but she too was against the idea. What if she too fell sick?

“It took a week to convince them both. My mother eventually came around, but Mwiti would hear nothing of it.”

The three of them had a sit in, during which Mwiti finally agreed to allow her to donate one of her kidneys to him. They also learned that being a civil servant, as long as one had a donor, NHIF would pay for the transplant. They settled for India.

From that point onwards, things moved quickly.

They got all the prerequisite travel documents, and within a short time, they were in India for the operation. They saw each other three days later after the operation. Kawira recalls Mwiti’s expression when he saw her. It was fearful.

“My wife!” he exclaimed, “Are you fine? Are you in pain?” She says, laughing.

The change in Mwiti was incredible. His natural colour was back, his body less swollen.

They were discharged seven days later, but had to stay on for three more weeks for observation. They put up at a self-catering hotel.

“During this time, we bonded more than we have ever done before. Before, I would never have imagined helping out in the kitchen, but since we were both recuperating, we had to help each other. We cooked together and took care of each other.”

It is over a year since that life-saving operation, and the couple is doing well.

SECOND LEASE

Says Kawira,

“I feel as I did before the surgery - healthy and strong. I would even get another baby now if Mwiti says yes!” She jokes.

Mwiti looks at his wife and says;

“I don’t know of any way that I can ever repay your kindness. Only God can reward you, you gave me a second lease of life.”

Mwiti’s health is back on track. He resumed work and is no longer on dialysis, though he will be on medication for life, and will have to go through regular tests to monitor his kidney. Kawira does not require any medication.

“Other than my medication and tests, which continue to put a strain on our finances, we are doing fine,” Mwiti says.

The medication costs Sh30, 000 a month, while the monthly tests costs Sh7, 000.

After staring death in the face, Mwiti has one wish;

“There should be free and accessible medication for renal patients. Most Kenyans don’t earn enough to provide their basic needs, so where will they get the money to buy daily expensive medication?”

Kawira lost her job when she travelled to India, and has been looking for another one to supplement her husband’s income.

We ask her what motivated her to donate her kidney to her husband.

“We have gone through a lot together. He is my friend, and we have a wonderful relationship. I did not want to lose him. Besides, there is a reason why God gave us one heart, and two kidneys.”