By Manuel Odeny

A dry wind sweeps through semi-arid Goglo village in Nyatike sub-county, Migori county as the mid-morning son pelts the environment.

The heat and the rays from the sun suffocates the are including through holes on Jane Aludo Oluongo, 51, house.

The widow sleeps on a coach in her house as her two school going secondary children tend to their siblings outside.

Aludo has been diagnosed with acute kidney stones which has been affecting her for the last six years with doctors needing Sh550,000 to perform a crucial life saving surgery in Kisumu.

Medics have given her only a month to live before the life saving surgery after two stones affected her left kidney..

While the sickly women has fees to worry about how her three secondary school children will open school next term, the gnawing pain on her abdomen and how to raise the funds needs worry her more.

“I used to feel pain in my lower abdomen especially in the morning, I started seeking medication from local hospitals where I was diagnosed with ulcers,” she said.

That was six years ago, where the widow and her family have tried to seek medication including an earlier operation on what they thought was hernia.

“It was last year that I was diagnosed with kidney stone after the disease was finally found,” she said.

She has been treated in hospitals in Migori and Homa Bay counties before finally being referred to Kisumu City’s Jaramogi Teaching and Referral Hospital for treatment.

“We have done our level best as a family and we are here seeking help to ensure I resume my duties of taking care of my family,” Aludo said.

Her husband died in 2021 leaving her with five children to take care off, with three in secondary school.

Martin Oloo and Fredrick Ojiji, relatives said they wish to ask for well wishers to help them raise the fund.

Aludo and the family can be reached through this number: 0705250448.

“We have to help her walk, sit and even sleep down because the pain is un-bearable. We are ground after spending what we have for her early treatments,” Ojiji said.

Dr Denis Obuon, a radiogist at Migori Referral Hospital who helped the patient get referral last year said kidney stone disease is common in Migori county and especially semi-arid area.

Obuon said the main cause of the disease is dehydration because salty urine can easily block kidney and urinal tract by crystallization of salt to form stones.

“Most often kidney stones can easily dissolve and be passed in urine without patients noticing or medication taken to make them dissolve,” Obuon said.

When the stones are bigger and harder operation might be needed to remove them.

“Kenyans need to take more water and have a balanced diet to control the disease or most importantly seek early medical treatment to avert serious cases,” he said.