Peter Kairang'a: Kenya's oldest heart surgery survivor now faces a life-threatening situation

At nine years old, Peter Kairang'a Githinji measured childhood not in milestones, but in breaths. Born with a failing heart that could barely fuel his body with oxygen, even walking a few paces left him wheezing while other children chased each other across schoolyards.

At a tender age, Githinji was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, a rare and life-threatening combination of heart defects that left his blood dangerously low in oxygen. According to him, every step was a small victory over a body that wasn’t built to keep up.

At a time when open-heart surgery was barely available in Kenya, Peter was one of the lucky few to undergo a groundbreaking operation. According to him, that surgery gave him a second chance.

In 1979, he underwent free lifesaving surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital conducted by Israeli doctors who had arrived at KNH then for a training program.

“Myself and nineteen other children underwent the lifesaving surgery at Kenyatta National Hospital It was an open-heart surgery. I was one of the lucky ones. Through a collaborative medical program, I became a beneficiary of a life-changing opportunity. Two pioneering Kenyan cardiologists performed open-heart surgery on me completely free of charge. That operation didn’t just save my life, it gave me a future I never thought I would have,” he said

“Not long ago, one of those very surgeons reached out to me. He told me that, according to the hospital’s records, I might be the oldest living survivor of those early heart surgeries performed in Kenya. It was humbling almost surreal to hear that,” he added.

According to him, he has since lived a relatively normal life, he built a life. He grew up, worked, raised a family and that has been his biggest milestone and achievement.

“My father used to encourage me to be like other normal healthy children because without seeing the scars you would not tell what I was going through,” he recalled.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for him and his family. Although he lived a relatively normal life in 1991, he got Tuberculosis and it affected his heart. The infection impacted his heart and led to swelling in his lymph nodes. Fortunately, after undergoing treatment, he made a full recovery. Although he would occasionally deal with common infections, he was never seriously ill or bedridden again.

Four years ago, he started having problems with his kidneys and is on dialysis twice a week.

Today, at 59, Githinji finds himself back where he started. He faces two serious complications affecting both his heart and kidneys. He urgently requires combined open-heart and kidney surgery.

“In 1979, the surgery was free, today, healthcare is very expensive, for me to regain my health, I need seven million and the doctors recommended I seek treatment in India instead,” he explained.

According to him, he hasn’t even managed to raise one per cent. He notes that as the days go by, he grows weaker.

"It's been incredibly difficult, I have reached out to former classmates, church members everyone who's been part of my life. But I can tell it's just as hard for them to raise that kind of money—about Ksh.7 million. I don’t know what else to do and that is why I am appealing to Kenyans for help," he said.