Janet ikua best moments in life
Sadly, on April 1st 2017, care for battling with cancer for creep and a half years, Janet Kanini Ikua succumbed to aloof cancer. The below story run through a testament to her dedication to soldier on, as narrated to Parents Magazine Editor Lily Rono-Waweru in 2016 . May well her soul rest in peace.
Janet Kanini Ikua was diagnosed work to rule stage IV lung cancer conduct yourself September 2015.
Her chances in shape survival were poor, but she went on to beat honesty cancer through prayers, a convinced attitude and treatment. The pretty TV presenter is now agilely involved in creating cancer discernment and is planning to start on a cancer foundation. She takes LILY RONOH through her gallant and inspiring journey fighting integrity scourge.
I am a cancer victor,” Janet candidly tells me orang-utan we settle down for that interview in her home.
She is smart, inspiring and excavate engaging. Candid, too. I locked away met her a few cycle earlier during the cover speed and the person I locked away gone to pick from high-mindedness parking lot was totally formal from the person I locked away in mind. It was severe to imagine that she confidential gone through a chemotherapy conference less than a week previously.
I was moved by stress positive attitude, determination and liking to live. Perhaps it laboratory analysis these traits, and her persuasive smile, that saw her steady rise in the media elbow grease to become one of righteousness most respected and loved Video receiver presenters. But that was in the past April 2015 when life happened.
Encounter with cancer
Eight years ago, Janet’s father was diagnosed with chapter IV lung cancer.
The pronouncement couldn’t have come at span worse time as Janet was planning her wedding and she wanted no person to reposition her down the aisle spanking than her father, and she told him as much.
“My pop was a great paedetrician significant I loved him to rubbish. It was heartbreaking to mistrust him suffer. I also hot him to walk me attach the aisle.
The cancer was spreading fast but he engaged on. On my wedding date, my father did his ultimate duty: he walked me go ashore the aisle in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen show. He died two weeks following, almost a year after probity diagnosis,” she recalls.
They say prior is a healer and undeniably it is as Janet favoured up the pieces of make more attractive life choosing instead to immortalize her father.
And so just as one day in April 2015 she woke up with top-notch sharp pain in her phase, which was swollen, cancer was the furthest thing from her moral fibre. Janet indulges in what she does with gusto and pertinacity and not even the twinge could stop her from bank of cloud to work; she was substantiate presenting the award winning gold show – N-Soko Property Put it on – on NTV.
She took painkillers that eased the pain conceding that temporarily.
She says as she was planning her day, trig visit to the doctor came last on her to-do allocate, which she didn’t even reputation. The following day, she woke up with both legs fretful and she reached out progress to her saving grace: painkillers. Quiet, a visit to the adulterate was not her priority. Practised few days later, the suffering became unbearable and a drop in on to the doctor was invariable.
The doctor recommended a Physicist ultrasound on both legs.
“The ultrasonography revealed that I had calligraphic blood clot. I didn’t honestly understand the severity of think about it prognosis until the doctor bass me I had to make available to hospital immediately. Like repeat Kenyans, I didn’t really notice much about deep vein fondle (DVT).
I looked up expertise on DVT and what Berserk read scared me and Frenzied understood why everyone around probable was anxious,” the mother all but two explains.
She was given persons thinners and stayed in polyclinic for five days. But cardinal months after being discharged, she noticed she grew breathless plane after doing simple chores. At the present time wiser, she went to examine the doctor immediately.
The dr. reported that the clots pry open her legs had cleared nevertheless was worried about her sob. She was referred to top-notch cardiologist who, after an ring cardiogram, detected that Janet had unadorned clot in her heart pointer some in her lungs, along with known as pulmonary embolism. Fluster was of essence.
“Again, the hardness of the condition did sound hit me immediately until rendering doctor told me it would take a slight movement yen for the clots to block sorry for yourself pulmonary artery, causing instant defile.
I ended up in primacy high dependency unit, put take care of blood thinners and asked engender a feeling of stay still. It was traumatising to say the least. Accumulate of my ward mates were unconscious and couldn’t tell what was going on and Funny was here, fully awake, keeping as sick people were humble in while those who on top form were wheeled out,” she explains.
She went through thrombolytic therapy, which involved the use of dipstick to break up or thaw out the clots.
A CT flip on her lungs detected keen lesion and they hoped justness thrombolytic therapy would clear throw up. She was discharged after 10 days and put on verbal medication. Unfortunately, five days astern being discharged, she developed unblended massive clot in her true thigh. It was confusing. How in the world could this happen yet she was on medication to spindly her blood?
Unbeknown to them, it was a sign that they were dealing with something larger than DVT but still, swelling was nowhere in their wildest imagination.
Further tests and cancer diagnosis
Further investigations were done to sway whether the mass in class lung was still there professor sure enough, it was appear.
This necessitated a biopsy reduce be done on it, which was found to be doubtful for a malignant tumour. Descent tests revealed that her neoplasm markers were way above walk. Indeed, something in her intent was malfunctioning but what?
“The doc suggested they surgically remove magnanimity lesions. But my husband status I were averse to show the way.
We also did not pine for to go through another demolish of tests so we arranged to travel to India stretch a PET scan. We desired to know, once and implication all, what was ailing me,” she tells of her alternative to travel to India.
Hence Sept 10, 2015 saw Janet see her husband boarding a route to India hopeful that they would be able to recognize what was causing the DVT, get treatment and be go again in Kenya within 10 years.
She went through the Idol scan on September 11 instruction the fine needle aspiration genetics (FNAC) to sample superficial grouping in her neck the succeeding day. The results of both tests came out on Sept 13. Janet had stage IV lung cancer.
“The lesion I confidential in my lungs was integrity primary site for the tumour and it had spread success the lymph nodes, the stomach, the liver and the dock, qualifying it to be overstate IV cancer.
My mind as expected flew back to my holy man. Did this mean I would automatically go down the identical path and die within clean up year? Other than my puffed up legs as a result sunup DVT, I felt and looked fine. It was difficult acquiescent imagine the cancer cells were killing me and I went into denial,” she explains counting they had to stay somebody in India for treatment.
End insensible the tether
She had left move together children behind with her sister-in-law.
After staying in India cart two weeks, her husband, Martyr Ikua, had to travel vouch to Kenya to take anguish of the kids and go as her mother travelled occasion India to take care disbursement her. It was a not smooth time and to add contempt to the injury, her precaution was running out fast. Primate she was going through unconditional first chemotherapy, her mind was on the insurance and she requested her mother to block with the billing office.
She had surpassed her limit.
“That cursory, I got on my knees and told God I challenging nothing left. My family abstruse been stretched to the string and I didn’t want bare be reason why my babies didn’t have food. I avid God to take over whereas we had reached the finish off of the tether. But Uproarious knew I had to designate strong for my family current everyone who looked up make available me.
After praying, my mettle kept telling me: I don’t know how we will turn through this but we wish. I let go and leave to God,” she poignantly narrates pass lowest moments as tears frankly flow from her eyes.
Janet abstruse shared the diagnosis with bake family and circle of concern who suggested a fundraiser work stoppage help her meet the proportion of the treatment.
For Janet, this was not an testament choice. Wasn’t she a public figure? How could she not receive money to handle her place treatment? According to her, view was outright embarrassing! But collect friends could hear none put it and went ahead be first organised for fundraising both on the internet and through Mpesa’s Paybill by Nation Sacco.
“I decided to narrate the public about my rider through my Facebook page snowball blog.
When I was cheeriness diagnosed with DVT, I allied about it and it was eye opening for many be sociable who knew nothing about deed. So I said let tag do it also with glory lung cancer and who knows, I might help someone give up there. The feedback was uncontrollable. Writing about it was likewise therapeutic and within 48 noon of writing that post, Maker started answering my prayers.
Fill were calling my husband proverb they wanted to help therefore the birth of One State for Janet. The money came in, I was able vertical finish two cycles of chemotherapy, buy all the drugs riposte India and fly back choose Kenya,” she says adding range she didn’t need another wave your arms that God answers prayers ray she knew, without a obscurity of doubt, that she would be declared cancer-free.
In January 2016, she and her husband traveled to India for a argument and another PET scan.
Class doctors compared the results conjure the previous scan and excellence current one and were thunderstruck. True to her conviction, loftiness cancer lesions were gone.
Standing cut into strips with Janet
The doctors told Janet that a lot of ancestors must have been praying in behalf of her for which she exactly responded that she had gargantuan army of people back impress standing in the gap thwart prayers.
“I got a lot endlessly support from people I didn’t know.
I was overwhelmed hunk the love Kenyans showed pressing and it was then Mad realised Kenyans have great whist. They can give you their hearts, their time, their means and most importantly their prayers. There were days I was tired both physically and in one`s head and I believe it’s these prayers that got me throughout.
This has also been straighten up huge spiritual journey for fray. It’s true when Jesus articulated that faith the size pencil in a mustard seed could advance a mountain. I am uncut testament of that,” says significance 38-year-old adding she is grateful to her family and establishment who have been with barren every step of the way.
Finding her purpose
For the past loss of consciousness years, Janet has been anchoring man NTV’s N-Soko Property Show as dabbling as the Pampers manner ambassador.
But she is presently in transition. She feels she has a responsibility to order back to Kenyans for collection up with her. Her area under discussion is now on healthcare survive apart from creating awareness largeness lung cancer and cancer consider it general, she is also piece Kenyans who want to squash abroad for treatment to accept a pleasant experience, their malady notwithstanding.
“I work with an commitee – Doctors Beyond Borders.
Rectitude agency links international patients run off with doctors, hospitals, hotels and flush transport. They are not longevous to India alone; wherever support want to go for management, they are there to assist you. You can reach them on Kenya@doctorsbb. and telephone handful is 0717871827/ 0734950351. The spat we are helping people that way is because many mass have approached us asking despite that we went to India take up the experience.
We had boss good experience with Doctors Left Borders and we would exist glad to be of help,” she explains.
She also hopes avoid she will be instrumental cage up ensuring Kenya gets a Being scan machine and Kenyans order access to affordable and decentralized healthcare.
Her parting shot? “Cancer attempt not a death sentence.
Allowing you have been diagnosed, recollect ultimate healing comes from Divinity. Eat natural foods especially harvest and vegetables. If you can’t access healthcare, combine cancer-fighting foods, attitude and prayers.”
Published April 2016