Story by Sherine Atieno and Photos by Ondari Ogega
“If I had to pay for this surgery from my own pocket, I wouldn’t have managed to afford it,” says a deeply grateful Gladys Achieng.
The 27-year-old mother from Seme now sees her son’s successful operation as a priceless birthday gift and a new chance at life.
Her firstborn, Harnest Milton, turned nine on the very day he underwent surgery to correct a swelling on his groin, a condition medically known as hydrocele. For Gladys, watching her son receive the long-awaited treatment on his birthday was a blessing beyond words.
The journey to that moment has been long. Gladys delivered her son without complications, believing she had given birth to a healthy child. Still a student at the time, she entrusted his early care to his grandmother. When Harnest turned one, his grandmother noticed a swelling on his groin. Gladys sought medical help at a sub-county hospital, but doctors there explained that the surgery could not be performed at the facility. She tried other hospitals but received the same response.
For years, Harnest lived with the condition.
Though he experienced no pain and passed urine normally, Gladys worried about her son’s future. “As a mother, I knew I had to do it for my child, even if it meant waiting,” she says.
That chance finally came in July this year when she saw a post on social media about the upcoming annual paediatric surgical camp at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH). She immediately followed up, called the provided numbers, and was advised to bring her son for screening.
Tests confirmed hydrocele on his right side, and he was booked for surgery.
The procedure was successful, and today Harnest is recovering well. His mother’s joy is overwhelming: “I prayed for a successful surgery, and God answered. Now I plan to celebrate his ninth birthday in style once we are back home.
Gladys encourages other parents to pay attention to medical outreach programs: “These camps help so many children who are silently suffering. If you hear of them, follow up because it could be the solution you’ve been waiting for.”
The annual paediatric surgical camp, organized by the Kenya Association of Paediatric Surgeons (KAPS) in collaboration with JOOTRH, has offered free life-changing surgeries to children from across the lake region counties. All costs were fully covered by the Social Health Authority (SHA), easing the burden for families.
