When 27-year-old Caroline Wakanyi Hurunju was told she had just 15 days to live, hope seemed like a cruel illusion. A once-vibrant woman now faced the haunting reality of Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD)—a condition that began years ago as a neglected sore throat. But in a twist that reads like a medical miracle, Caroline’s story took a life-altering turn at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi.
“It started with what felt like a simple discomfort in March 2021,” Caroline recalls. That discomfort spiraled into years of misdiagnoses, hospital transfers, and despair. By the time she reached Aga Khan in October 2023, two of her heart valves were beyond repair. The damage was irreversible, and the cost of surgery—Ksh 1.6 million—stood like a brick wall between her and survival.
Doctors were blunt: “Your case is very dire. You have 15 days to live.”
Then came a glimmer of hope. At Aga Khan, she met Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Andrew Duncan. “After reviewing her scans, I believed we could save her,” he said calmly—a tone Caroline wasn’t used to after years of alarming diagnoses.
On October 23rd, 2023, Caroline underwent the life-saving open-heart surgery. But just hours later, she flatlined—twice.
“She went into arrhythmia, and her heart stopped completely,” said Dr. Peter Ogutu, one of the cardiac surgeons. “We had to reopen her chest right in the ICU. It was a race against time.”
In a desperate move, doctors connected her to a life-support machine that took over the function of her heart and lungs. Known as ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation), it’s typically a last resort in severe heart failure cases. Still, the danger wasn’t over. Caroline spent 40 days unconscious, lost her memory, battled wound infections, and dropped drastic weight.
Against all odds, she made it.
Today, her heart beats with strength. Her breathing is stable. “It’s like being born again,” Caroline says, now on a steady road to recovery.
Her story is more than just survival—it’s a call to action. Rheumatic Heart Disease is preventable. “It all begins with a sore throat,” explained Dr. Ogutu. “A simple penicillin injection early on could stop RHD from developing.”
He urged the public to take sore throats seriously. “Prevention is not complicated. Once someone is diagnosed, they must receive monthly penicillin injections along with medication to manage symptoms and prevent complications.”
Caroline’s survival is a testament to modern medicine, human resilience, and timely intervention. But it also highlights a critical public health message: something as simple as treating a sore throat could mean the difference between life and death.
