How Kenyan teen nearly lost her life after wrong diagnosis

For five years, Rose Achieng, a teenage girl from Siaya County, lived under a diagnosis that defined her childhood, dictated her treatment, and shaped her family’s hopes. She was treated for sickle cell disease that she did not have.

Today, at just 16 years old, Achieng is battling advanced rheumatic heart disease, a condition that has severely damaged two of her heart valves and forced her to drop out of school.

For three months, she has been attending clinics at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret, where she is now scheduled for open-heart surgery on January 29, 2026.

Medical documents show that in February 2020, Achieng was seen at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) in Kisumu. A consultation request form dated February 12, 2020 lists her diagnosis as sickle cell disease (SCD).

Following that diagnosis, she was placed on long-term medication and managed as a sickle cell patient for nearly five years.

Her mother, Millicent Ganda, a single parent, says the family trusted the diagnosis without question.

“We were told she had sickle cell, and we believed it. She took the medicine as instructed, but instead of improving, she kept getting weaker,” Ganda said.

She added that over the years, her daughter experienced persistent fatigue, frequent illness, shortness of breath and chest discomfort.

By 2025, Achieng's condition had worsened significantly. She could no longer walk long distances without becoming breathless, and simple daily activities left her exhausted.

In August 2025, doctors at Siaya County Referral Hospital ordered fresh investigations. The results ruled out sickle cell disease entirely.

Instead, she was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease, a condition often caused by untreated childhood throat infections and known to silently damage heart valves if not detected early.

She was immediately referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital for specialised cardiac care.

An echocardiography report from MTRH paints a grim picture of severe rheumatic mitral valve regurgitation, with cardiologists concluding that Achieng requires open-heart surgery with replacement of both the mitral and aortic valves as the only option to save her life and improve her quality of life.

However, by the time the correct diagnosis was made, the damage had already taken its toll.

In the second term of 2025, the patient dropped out of school while in Form Two. Walking to class became impossible, and sitting through lessons left her gasping for breath.

“She loved school so much, but she could not cope anymore. She would come home exhausted and sick,” the mother tells The Standard.

Achieng has been left to bear the scars of other people's mistakes. She spends most of her time at home, watching her peers continue with their education as she waits for surgery.

With the date for surgery fast approaching, Ganda says the emotional and financial strain has been overwhelming.

As a single mother relying on casual work, years of hospital visits and medication depleted the little resources she had.

According to the Kenya Medical Association, misdiagnosis causes up to 10 per cent of deaths globally.