Woman who lost daughter in boiler accident fights on

The Bible says the righteous fall seven times, but do not give up. They rise again and again. The Psalmist could have had Joyce Ong’ombe in mind.

She lost her husband and two sons at one go during last year’s raging floods, then she, alongside her only surviving daughter, encountered a serious burns accident that claimed the little girl’s life but left her in critical condition.

But when the Star visited her, she appeared strong-spirited and not giving up anytime soon.

She has to be under the surgical scalpel at least thrice a week to remove dead tissue and have her skin reconstructed.

Her wounds oscillate between drying to becoming fresh again due to repeated opening for dressing and application of medicine.

Pain is a constant companion. “I’m feeling a lot of pain. Nurse, please give me painkillers,” she whispers to the nurse attending to her.

During the interview, she is seated on a wheelchair by her bed in the critical care ward in the burns unit at the Kenyatta National Hospital and covered in blue linen, her plaited hair wrapped in a blue covering.

Her face is covered by tiny sweat particles.

She nods her head in repeated slow motion as if to create a rhythm that helps her cope with the excruciating pain.

The nurse moves close to her to encourage her, promising that another nurse is dashing on her way with the pain killing supplies.

“She’s almost here,” the nurse says.

The nurse, who requested not to be named in this story, says Ong’ombe is mostly on the bed but is regularly put on the wheelchair as part of her recovery regimen.

Dr Benjamin Wabwire who has been attending to her told the Star that the burns on Ong’ombe were all over her body and so the wound dressings are only done at the theatre.

But while attending to her and supervising her treatment, the doctor says he is impressed by Ong’ombe’s fighting spirit.

She was told about the demise of her only surviving daughter Georgina but she remains upbeat about her recovery chances, he said.

“She has along way to go in treatment and I think she will be around [in the critical care ward] for some time,” Wabwire said.

But Wabwire says Ong’ombe’s positive attitude and resolve to fight her life is evident amid her loud cry during medication.

“Her burns were extensive and she has undergone a number of procedures but she remains conscious and has been communicating,” the head of plastic and reconstructive surgery unit said.

“Even when the daughter died almost besides her because they were in the same ward, she was immediately told and soaked in it,” he added.

“The chances of survival of patients in critical condition is directly influenced by their emotional strength and resolve to fight on because there are things they are required to do, which they can only do if they are willing. I have seen that this patient has the resolve and willingness to fight.”

The doctor credits the patient’s strong social support system for her disposition.

Her Lavington SDA church community not only gets in touch with the treatment team and her for fellowship but has also been aggressively in mobilising resources to support her.

“Her social support system is amazing. Her church has been hand-in-gloves with her in this treatment journey and I hope they keep doing so.”

So close is the church support that she has been doing video calls with them for fellowship.

During the festive season, Ong’ombe and her daughter Georgina travelled to Mombasa and booked an apartment for vacation but on December 31 last year, tragedy struck while they were preparing breakfast.

“The boiler exploded, throwing them to the ground and causing severe burns,” Lawrence Omire, a church elder at Lavington SDA Church, said.

On January 1, they were airlifted to Nairobi for treatment.

Ong’ombe suffered 45 per cent burns, while Georgina sustained 65 per cent burns.

She tragically succumbed to her injuries two weeks later, on January 14.

A church-led fund drive has so far mobilised Sh10 million for her treatment.

Ong’ombe’s husband and two sons were travelling from upcountry early last year amid the massive floods when their car got swept away in Narok, just before Suswa.

The body of her daughter is preserved at a city mortuary, with the family saying they will wait until she is back on her feet before they can bury the young girl.