They say that women are their own worst enemies, but two friends, Kabugo Wa Kamau and Evarita Kamau, have proven that the saying is not always true. Kabugo Wa Kamau (green dress) and her friend Evarita Kamau (l), Evarita’s sister, Vicky who also fell ill (r). Kabugo and Evarita friends since kindergarten Kabugo and Evarita have been friends since kindergarten, and despite their parting in Class Six, they later reconnected with the advent of Facebook and became best friends who can take a bullet for each other. A case in point is when Evarita got a heart ailment in 2022 that really affected her life. “Each time she got an episode, it was a near-death experience. Her rate would go up to 220 -250 and also giving a lot of confused signals,” Kabugo told TUKO.co.ke in an interview. What is Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)? According to the Mayo Clinic, Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a type of irregular heartbeat, also called an arrhythmia. It’s a very fast or erratic heartbeat that affects the heart’s upper chambers. SVT also is called paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. The typical heart beats about 80 to 120 times a minute. For a person with SVT, the heart beats about 150 to 220 times a minute. Occasionally, it beats faster or slower. During episodes of SVT, a person may feel dizzy, pain in the chest, fluttering in the chest, fainting, shortness of breath, sweating and pounding sensation in the neck. Given the severity of the condition, it became apparent to everyone that Evarita needed immediate medical intervention to save her life; that made Kabugo lead a spirited campaign to save her best friend’s life. Evarita needs KSh 931,000 for operation Together with Evarita’s family and other friends, they even staged a mean live music concert with key musicians in attendance to bridge the gap and ensure the required funds’ target for the procedure was met, which they met and even surpassed. “The procedure’s cost was KSh 1.2 million here in Kenya but Aga Khan did not have the specialised catheter needed for the procedure,” Kabugo told TUKO.co.ke. “Some of the doctors we found who could do the procedure here in Kenya had a very low success rate of about 80% and the only one who could do it well comes from Mombasa. The other problem was he could only do it at Aga Khan Hospital but they did not have the special catheter needed for the procedure,” said the pharmacist. Right to Left: Vicky, Evarita Kamau and Kabugo Wa Kamau on the plane to India. Photos: Kabugo Wa Kamau. Source: UGC Kabugo revealed that a specialised doctor from South Africa normally comes to carry out the procedure in Kenya but he requires about 25 -30 patients for his travelling all the way to make sense. India best option for Evarita Given their options, going to India to seek treatment became the only viable option, and their research revealed that they would need about KSh 1.6 million (USD 12000). “My sister told me now that we know the best hospital for cardiac treatment, we should just do a walk-in and know more about the cost of treatment,” said Kabugo. As they were preparing to take Evarita to India for the procedure, her sister, Vicky, also fell ill with the same condition and required similar treatment. ” She’d been having the episodes but didn’t get diagnosed until later. She’d either get to the hospital after symptoms had subsided and get misdiagnosed altogether,” said Kabugo. Funds also cover Evarita’s sister Thankfully, they had enough funds for both sisters to be treated at the number one Cardiac hospital in India, at the cost of one surgery in Kenya. “The word on the street was the place to be was Fortis so we already had 80% of our hearts leaning that way. It was also the most expensive hospital in all the quotes and highly spoken of by all agents. Artemis was a close second but 60kms away; Apollo was a no-no and the reviews online were terrible. Fortis Hospital it was,” said Kabugo. At Fortis Hospital the three managed to bring the cost of treatment down to KSh 648,000 all the way from KSh KSh 1.6 million. Evarita Kamau, Kabugo wa Kamau and Vicky at the famous Taj Mahal in India. Why is the Taj Mahal a wonder? Before going for surgery the three decided to visit the Taj Mahal; an immense mausoleum of white marble, built in Agra between 1631 and 1648 by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife. According to UNESCO, the Taj Mahal is the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage. Evarita wanted to first visit the Taj Mahal before going for the surgery. Soon enough, the sisters were in surgery and their recovery time did not take long. “Evarita’s surgery was successful, but Vickly ran into some problems. The procedure entails going into the heart through some arteries in the groin which can be complicated,” said Kabugo. Kabugo says be the friend you want In total, the three stayed in India for 14 days …not because of the two sisters with the cardiac problem, but also because Kabugo herself had developed a problem. Kabugo said that it was not hard leaving her business and children to take her friends to India to get treatment. “I once fell down and hurt my back badly in 2021 and she stopped everything; she moved into my house to help nurse me. I travel a lot and whenever I am away on business, Evarita comes to take care of business and deals with clients, employees and suppliers,” shared Kabugo. “It was the most natural thing for me to do for her. We have to be the kind of friends that we want. Many people out here don’t know how to give or receive love,” she added.
by Susan Mwenesi