Expectant mothers seeking services at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching & Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) are seeing the life-saving impact of medical synergy and early diagnostic findings.

The power of this collaborative approach is best seen in the case of 32-year-old Rose Atieno Owiti, a mama mboga and mother of three. Her newborn daughter, Nylla Skyler, has become a symbol of hope after becoming a primary beneficiary of the hospital’s specialized Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) unit and surgical teams.

Her journey began at Kuoyo Health Center during a routine prenatal clinic. While conducting an ultrasound in Ms. Owiti’s eighth month of pregnancy, sonographer Mohamed Abdi discovered a large mass at the lower end of the fetus’s spine.

Recognizing the gravity of the finding while the baby was still in the womb, the facility immediately referred Ms. Owiti to JOOTRH.

Upon her arrival in her ninth month, Dr. Muruka Kays, a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) specialist, took over the case. Advanced imaging, including a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis, provided the surgical team with a clear roadmap.

The scan revealed a massive sacrococcygeal teratoma measuring approximately 13.8 * 10cm. The tumor consisted of soft tissue, fluid-filled cystic areas, and focal calcifications. Crucially, the imaging showed the mass was largely superficial and had not extended into the presacral space or affected the baby’s internal organs, such as the bladder and kidneys.

Armed with these findings, Dr. Kays consulted with neurosurgeon Dr. William Owiti. Together, they decided the safest course of action was to deliver the baby and perform surgery within the first weeks of life.

Following the delivery, a multidisciplinary team—including Dr. C.S. Otieno—performed the delicate operation to remove the Lump from the infant’s back.

The success of the procedure was reflected in the baby’s weight. Nylla Skyler weighed 3,460 grams at birth; however, after the successful removal of the massive tumor, her weight adjusted to 2,642 grams—indicating the mass itself accounted for nearly 25% of her birth weight.

Baby Nylla is currently recovering well in the Newborn Unit (NBU) at JOOTRH. Her case is one among many hospital’s outreach programs, which aim to identify high-risk pregnancies in peripheral facilities and refer them for specialized care.”

When these cases are discovered in good time, the required and appropriate interventions are put in place.

For Mrs the coordination between her local clinic and the specialists at JOOTRH has given her daughter a healthy start at life, proving that early detection and expert intervention are the keys to better outcomes.