15 years ago Levis Maina Njoroge met the one person that to
this day gives him hope. He had been suffering from an unknown illness and after
almost 8 years of back and forth from various hospitals in the country, he met
a man that would refer him to what he still calls ‘My Hope’.
 |
| Levis meets Dr Betty Gikonyo 15 years after having open heart surgery |
Levis at the age of 9 met Dr Betty Gikonyo, a paediatric
cardiologist that at the time was working at the Kenyatta National Hospital. “For
almost 9 years I had suffered. My hair was grey, I would cough all the time, I
was always weak and sick. The other doctors would treat me for diabetes,
malaria, malnutrition, but nothing seemed to work. I was referred to Dr Gikonyo
by a doctor at the Moi Hospital in Voi” Levis said.
With only 2 brothers left, Levis an open heart surgery
survivor says he regained his lost nine years after visiting Dr Gikonyo. Though
now orphaned with no one to give him support, the 25 year old found refuge in
believing that his one hope will give him hope again.
“I went looking for Dr Gikonyo at Kenyatta National
Hospital, but I did not get her there. I decide to look her up on Google, just
for me to see that she is now a CEO. I instantly felt the lost hope grow back
in me. I quickly rushed to the Karen Hospital to get a chance to meet with her,
I never got the chance instantly, but I got that hope filled call to come and
here I am, with my hope.”Levis continued.
At that same age, Levis was diagnosed with a heart condition
whose surgery at the time could not be performed in Kenya. With the help of his
grandmother, some well wishers and the heart-to-heart foundation, he was among
three that travelled to India for an open heart surgery. The surgery was
successful and he recuperated in India for about six months and returned home
in January of 2000.
 |
| Levis gets the chance to chat with his role model and mentor Dr Betty Gikonyo at the Nairobi Heart Clinic in Karen Hospital |
According to Levis his grandmother was a fortress in the
family. Having lived without knowing his mother, his grandmother played the
role perfectly, nursing him in his illness and even selling all her investments
so that he could get treatment in India.
“My grandmother had invested in a Kenya based airline and
she had to sell all her shares to get sufficient funds to travel. The airline
on hearing my plight assisted my father and I with tickets to Bombay, India. My family
gave a lot for me to get treated; my brothers even gave up their education just
so that we could get funds for treatment. I am in debt to them. When my father
past away just two months after our trip, I was struck with a lot of worry. My
grandmother was getting older and now had to be our sole provider. She gave a
fight and managed to take me through both my O levels and A levels, but she could
not fight anymore and just before my last exam she succumbed to illness and
passed on. I felt a really big blow, because now it was clear, I was orphaned,
with no one to fall back on and no one to look up to.” Levis added.
 |
| Levis gets a chance to meet Dr. A.K Gikonyo, Resident Cardiologist at the Karen Hospital |
His quest to seek audience with Karen Hospital CEO and
founder of the Heart-to-Heart Foundation Dr Betty Gikonyo saw the beginning of
a new dawn for the aspiring musician. After having met with the team from the
institution, Levis confessed that by this time he knew his orphan days were
over.
“I just wanted to renew my hope again, and I felt that if
she had done it before; given me the life that I had given up on, she could do
it again. Life has not been easy since grandma went away. I have been subjected
to harsh conditions even living on the streets of Mombasa with my brothers. We
do casual jobs to survive and so far we have managed, but street vices have manifested
themselves in my brothers. I almost went in that direction but that little
light given to me by Dr Betty Gikonyo those many years ago, would not allow me
to.” Levis reiterated.
Levis travelled to Nairobi from his home in Manyani in Coast
Region in search of a reason to live; he said that he found it once he stepped
into the Karen Hospital compound. The aspiring artist that has had his music
played in a local radio station said that he ventured into music after giving
up on drugs and overcoming depression. He further stated that after winning a
rap competition in one of the promotional activities of a radio station, he
knew that he had a talent that he could make use of.
 | ||
| Levis on arrival at The Karen Hospital with Communications Team Leader Mercy Nyakio |
“When I remember how she encouraged me and gave me life
again, I feel inspired. She told me that we will one day live to see our dreams
come true, I feel like she has achieved hers, and she deserves to be where she is.
Mine are still in progress and she remains my role model. I remember, I told
her I wanted to be a doctor, and whenever she saw me in the ward, she
called me Dr Maina, that has formed the foundation of my life. I am not yet a
doctor but who knows, with this hope I have now, I believe in me.” Levis
concluded after having had a short chat with Dr Betty Gikonyo at the Heart
Clinic in Karen Hospital Nairobi.
 |
| Levis chats with his 'hope' Dr Betty Gikonyo |
