Family seeks help with Sh12m hospital bill as wife dies after birth
Grace Nyabera, a mother of two, who died from a pregnancy-related illness. Her family is seeking financial help from well-wishers to settle a Sh12 million hospital bill. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Grace Nyabera, 34, developed preeclampsia which forced doctors to order an emergency caesarean section.
- Her child, Eliana, came 10 weeks early and was put in neonatal intensive care.
- Grace was later discharged but developed difficulty breathing at home.
- After her readmission to hospital, she suffered a cardiac arrest and died while receiving treatment in the ICU.
- Family's bill has shot to Sh12 million and keeps rising by day.
Like any expecting mother, Grace Nyabera was excited about giving birth.
Her family, too, was eager about the baby’s arrival. For 30 weeks, her pregnancy had been without incident.
But from the moment Grace, 34, had a preeclampsia attack, her family’s fortunes changed fast from promising to disastrous.
Now the family is struggling to raise more than Sh10 million to clear a huge hospital bill for the child who is still in nursery and mother, who died from the pregnancy-related illness.
Preeclampsia is a condition during pregnancy that is characterised by high blood pressure and sometimes multiple organ failure.
EMERGENCY C-SECTION
On December 18 last year, the mother of two from Buruburu in Nairobi developed an unusually high blood pressure, which threatened her life and that of her baby.
At Nairobi Hospital where she was taken, doctors recommended an emergency caesarean section, to save her and the child.
She delivered a healthy baby girl, weighing 1.3 kilogrammes. The baby, Eliana Nyabera, was put in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to develop fully, having been born 10 weeks early.
While recuperating in hospital, Grace, an employee of Strathmore Climate Innovation Centre, developed complications that caused her kidneys to fail. She was admitted to the hospital’s ICU.
Grace responded well to treatment and was transferred to the general ward after three days. She was later discharged on December 26. Her baby though remained in NICU.
CARDIAC ARREST
While recovering at home a week later, Grace developed difficulties breathing. At Jamaa Mission Hospital where she sought treatment, she was referred back to Nairobi Hospital for specialised treatment.
At the hospital, Grace suffered a cardiac arrest and was readmitted to the ICU. She died on Monday last week.
Meanwhile, her baby stayed in NICU for 26 days and then moved to the nursery on January 13 where she has been since.
For the two months the mother and child stayed in hospital, the bill shot to Sh12 million and keeps rising.
COVER EXHAUSTED
The couple’s Sh1.2 million health insurance cover was exhausted, leaving the grieving family helpless and in distress.
“The baby was discharged last week, but is still in nursery. We cannot take her home because we do not have money to offset the bill,” Vincent Nyabera, her husband, told the Nation.
Vincent is now appealing to well-wishers to assist the family clear the hospital bill so that his wife’s body can be released for burial.
“I have sought help from friends who have contributed more than Sh1 million. But I still have a long way to go,” said Vincent.
The family has established a Pay Bill number 991129, account name Grace Akello medical fund, for those who wish to assist.
