Recall Jadudi the cancer warrior?
University of Nairobi student Emmanuel Otieno, better known as Jadudi, who Kenyans raised Ksh6.4 million for brain surgery in India back in September 2015 has succumbed to cancer.
Jadudi passed away on Monday evening and had been ailing since 2012.
He shot into the limelight in 2015 after renowned writer Jackson Biko, highlighted his battle with a brain tumor that had seen him undergo several surgeries.
Biko’s blog post, The thing in Jadudi’s head, saw Kenyans raise over six million in less than two days for Jadudi’s medical bill, surpassing the initial target of Sh1 million.
The money enabled Jadudi, who had Grade III Ependymoma fly to Chennai, India where he underwent four-hour brain surgery at Apollo Hospital.
Months after he underwent successful brain surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his brain, Jadudi, was diagnosed with another brain tumour in 2016.
His death comes a year after Jadudi’s family and the Africa Cancer Foundation (AFC) appealed to the nation – that helped raise funds for his trips to India – to help clear an Sh1.2 million hospital bill, ferry him home and support his palliative care.
According to AFC managing director Dorothy Nyong’o the brain surgery was unsuccessful. The recurring condition and subsequent infections, as well as travel and special nutrition costs, pushed up the bill.