Quintor Cheruto, an 18-year-old Kenyan teenager, is appealing to well-wishers for financial support after two kidney transplants failed, leaving her on dialysis, out of school, and facing the prospect of a third and costly procedure.
Her health troubles began a decade ago when she was first diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2014.
Doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as a minor infection that would clear up on its own, and by the time the correct diagnosis was confirmed, her condition had deteriorated to a point where she required urgent dialysis, which she underwent for two years.
In 2016, her family mobilised funds to take her to New Delhi, India, where she received her first kidney transplant, with her father serving as the donor.
Cheruto starts swelling towards 2020
The surgery gave her several years of relatively normal life, but towards the end of 2020, she began noticing swelling in her feet and face.
Tests confirmed that her body was rejecting the transplanted organ, and despite strict adherence to her medication, the kidney failed, and she returned to dialysis.
A second transplant followed in Eldoret in 2021, this time with her aunt as the donor. The surgery went well initially, but later that year Cheruto developed pancreatitis, a severe inflammation of the pancreas that required two months of hospitalisation.
Why hasn’t Cheruto returned to school?
Doctors were unable to save the second transplanted kidney.
Since losing her second transplant, Cheruto told NEWSUNPLUG.co.ke she has been unable to return to school.
Persistent leg swelling makes it painful to sit for long periods, while ongoing fatigue and unpredictable convulsions that cause her to fall without warning have made regular attendance impossible.
How much is kidney transplant in Kenya?
The psychological burden of repeated setbacks, combined with the physical toll of dialysis, has affected her deeply.
Her family is now working towards a third transplant, but the financial barrier is steep.
Kidney transplants in Kenya cost roughly KSh 600,000 at public facilities such as Kenyatta National Hospital, rising to over KSh 2 million at private hospitals, with lifelong immunosuppressive medication and postoperative care adding further strain on already stretched households.
