Family appeals for funds as cancer threatens teen’s dream of becoming doctor

James Furaha Emmanuel, 18, at home in Posta-Beach Bay Village in Mjanaheri in Magarini subcounty, Kilifi county on February 10, 2026. For the past three years, Furaha has been kept out of class as he suffers from cancer on his left leg below the knee.

Since childhood, James Furaha Emmanuel has nurtured a simple but powerful dream: to complete his education, become a doctor and dedicate his life to healing others.

Today, that dream hangs in the balance.

The 18-year-oldstudent is battling cancer, a diagnosis that has disrupted his education and left him bedridden for more than three years.

Furaha, from Posta-Beach Bay village in Mjanaheri, Magarini, Kilifi county, appeared frail and in visible pain when visited on Tuesday this week. The illness has significantly weakened him, putting his once bright academic journey on hold.

Were it not for the disease, Furaha would now be in Form 4, preparing to sit his final secondary school examinations this year.

His health challenges began in November 2022, when a rash appeared below his left knee while he was sitting his KCPE examinations at Bandacho Primary School in Adu ward, Magarini. Despite the discomfort, he scored 315 marks out of 500.

In January 2023, he secured admission to Moi Boys High School–Kasigau in Taita Taveta county. However, shortly after joining secondary school, the rash developed into an aggressive tumour that caused him acute pain.

His father, Emmanuel Konde, a pastor attached to the Pentecostal Christian Teaching Ministry, was summoned to the school and advised to seek urgent medical attention for his son.

“It was around Term Two of 2023. I opted to postpone my son’s studies and took him out of school to seek medication for him,” Konde said.

A doctor later advised the family to conduct cancer tests. A biopsy was taken from the affected area and subjected to various examinations, which eventually confirmed the diagnosis.

According to Konde, before the cancer was detected, the family had visited more than 10 hospitals, both public and private, a process that exhausted their finances.

“We first visited Malindi General Hospital, then Kilifi County Referral Hospital and Mombasa’s Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital. All this time we were using cash since we didn’t have Social Health Authority (SHA) cover,” Konde said.

He added that some diagnostic tests were unavailable in public facilities, forcing them to seek services from private institutions, including The Mombasa Hospital and Cerba Lancet Kenya, where X-rays, CT scans, MRIs and multiple blood tests were conducted.

Konde recalls August 28, 2024 vividly — the day a Cerba Lancet Kenya pathology laboratory test confirmed the presence of cancer cells in his son’s leg.

“We were told it was cancer at its initial Stage One, localised within and below the knee area. I was shocked. By then, I had already sold my plots of land in Midodoni village in Gongoni and other family properties, accumulating to almost Sh1 million. I had spent all the cash in pursuit of my son’s medication,” Konde said.

Doctors have since advised that Furaha’s leg be amputated to save his life. However, the family says they no longer have the financial capacity to proceed with treatment.

Konde is now appealing for support from well-wishers to help raise funds for the life-saving procedure for his ninth and last-born child.

“We have sold everything, including land and livestock, and spent the cash on tests and other remedies until the cancer was finally detected. My family is now left with nothing. I am just a local pastor. We need help,” he said.

Furaha’s mother, Margaret Nyevu, said doctors warned against any delay in treatment.

“We were warned that any delay can result in the spread of the cancer, meaning my son’s life is threatened. How I wish someone hears our cry and comes to our rescue. I am worried,” Nyevu said.

Stephen Hinzano, Furaha’s uncle, called upon leaders — including area MCAs, MPs, Senators, Woman Representatives, Governors and President William Ruto — to intervene.

Hinzano also appealed to corporate organisations, philanthropists and charitable groups to support the family in raising funds for treatment.

“We have leaders in this country with the ability to assist and save lives. We also have salt farms in the area — Gongoni Krystalline, Kensalt, Kaysalt, among others. It is our prayer that they have mercy, come together and save Furaha’s life,” Hinzano said.

The emotional toll on the family has been immense. Furaha’s sister, Mapenzi Emmanuel, said watching him suffer daily has affected everyone, especially their mother.

“We’re always stressed seeing our brother crying in pain. We can’t even eat or sleep well anymore because of Furaha’s condition. Our happiness will come when we see our brother get the assistance he needs and be cured,” Mapenzi said.

Despite the pain and uncertainty, Furaha remains hopeful.

“I pray for compassion. Let someone come to the rescue so that I get treated. I just want to recover, go back to school and study. I won’t allow cancer to steal my future. My dream hasn’t been crushed by cancer at all. It is still alive, that one day I will become a doctor. I want to help treat and heal others going through a situation like mine,” Furaha said.