Lydia Sasanu’s final battle: A life lost in the fight for dignified cancer care

On the last day that the Nation team interviewed Lydia Sasanu, it was on her birthday; she was turning 38.

She was in high spirits even after a long journey from Nairobi via the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

Even though pain peered through her face, she had the mettle to fight cancer. She preached hope. She lived for it. We had spent about four days with her – in Nairobi and Diani – and she had become part of our crew, a sister whose story will linger in our hearts forever.

I was preparing to sleep when I learnt about her death from my editor Zeynab Wandati, her classmate at Alliance Girls’ High School. I became numb. How? Why? Questions whose answers I may never get.

I have kept tabs on Lydia ever since I met her. The last time I called her was on her son’s birthday. She was driving to Mombasa for a radiotherapy session and was happy to tag her son along.

“I am okay. I have been pain-free for some time, it seems like radiotherapy is working for me. You see, I can even drive on my own…” she told me.

I shared that with my colleagues who were part of the assignment and that inspired a sense of optimism.

Lydia was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer in November 2023, at stage three. It is one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer and has recurred even after surgery was done.

On Facebook, where we learnt about her story, she documented her journey.

“I never used to be someone who openly asked for help. I could figure out anything on my own. One time when I had lost my job after the cancer diagnosis, I took my phone and shared my story. I became vulnerable. It is in vulnerability that I got help from people who I have never met,” she told us in an interview.

Lydia shared photos online. She strongly advocated for cancer screening, and if you have never been to one, here’s a cue for you to go for cancer screening.

“When I got cancer, people wondered how I could have missed that. I am smart, an A student, and I should know that cancer screening is important. It went to the hospital in good time, but the diagnosis took forever,” she told us in an interview.

If Lydia had the chance to meet Health ministry officials or doctors, she wanted cancer screening to be brought in the lower level facilities, regularly, and not just on special days.

Our story highlighted the plight of cancer patients traversing counties to get medication. In Lydia's case, for instance, she had to travel to Diani using the SGR mostly from 10pm to 3 in the morning. She could then take a matatu to the hospital, mostly alone and in pain. When we travelled with her, only the first 30 minutes of the journey were pain-free, we spent the remaining time praying for her, hoping that the pain subsided – it did not.

We highlighted the hidden costs of cancer, apart from treatment, which is partly covered by health insurance, but only for those who are registered. Lydia was spending about Sh5,000 a day on dressing, which was not covered by her health insurance. Transport costs, incidental charges, food, accommodation...you name it, and now the burden of being sick.

Her son gave her a reason to keep going. When we left with his mother for Nairobi, he held on to his mother’s dress, wishing that she could stay with him. He was downtrodden that we were leaving without him. Lydia too felt sad, but it wasn’t the first time she was leaving her son to go to hospital.

Her sister Jael Wakesho confirmed that Lydia died on Monday morning at around 4.15am. Lydia was with her son’s father in their house in Diani.

“It is shocking to us as a family. She gave us hope that she would be okay. She was sick a few days before her death but she wasn’t willing to get an admission so that she could be with her son. We knew that she would get better,” Jael told the Nation via a phone call.

In her last moments, Lydia couldn’t speak and felt weak. Her son’s father took her to a hospital in Diani where she breathed her last.

“My uncle was with her on Sunday. She told us she was in high spirits and he never imagined she would pass away that Monday morning,” said Jael.

“We are heartbroken. If the government could do anything, we pray that they bring cancer screening to the people, just like Lydia advocated.”

hshikanda@ke.nationmedia.com