President Uhuru Kenyatta has come to the rescue of five-year-old Ethan Macharia, who made headlines two weeks ago after penning an emotional letter from India, where he was stuck with his mother unable to get treatment.

On Friday, February 28, Kenya’s Ambassador to India Willy Bett informed the family that the President had paid the boy’s full hospital bill, paving way for him to undergo a nerve simulator surgery (VNS) at the Forties Hospital tomorrow, March 3.

“No words can explain my emotions right now and no words can express my gratitude to the President for his kind gesture.

The last 16 months have been nothing but emotional turmoil for us and we are glad that with this surgery, Ethan will be able to lead a normal life like he was before and become who he wants to be,’’ said Macharia’s mother, Veronica Njeri. 

In November 2018, Ethan fell head-first from a flight of stairs while playing, critically damaging his head.

He soon developed violent seizures that further worsened his situation resulting in grave bodily harm.

He was unable to continue with education and lost most of his cognitive abilities.

According to doctors in India, VNS surgery is important for Macharia because their attempts to control the multiple seizures using multiple drugs have failed.

In a letter titled “Dear Mr President,” the boy appealed to President Uhuru and well-wishers to help raise Sh3.5 million to facilitate his surgery for brain injuries.

In conventional vagus nerve stimulation, a device will be surgically implanted under the skin on Ethan’s chest, and a wire is threaded under his skin connecting the device to the left vagus nerve.

When activated, the device sends electrical signals along the left vagus nerve to the brainstem, which then sends signals to certain areas in his brain.

Macharia, who aspires to become a footballer, says getting the treatment will enable him to resume his education and play with his friends.

In the letter written with the help of his mother, Macharia detailed how he fell on his head as he was playing with his friends terming the encounter as ‘very painful’ and one that left him with a ‘bad injury’.

During their visit to India in March last year, Macharia was diagnosed with Glute1 – a rare condition characterised by lack of protein required for glucose to cross the blood-brain barrier.

He, however, tested negative for the condition.  During a second visit to India in February this year, Macharia was diagnosed with refractory epilepsy, a seizure disorder that cannot be controlled with drugs.

His mother had bought him a helmet to minimise injuries due to multiple falls. 

Njeri, a customer care agent, had said illness had depleted the family finances and appealed for help in treating her only child. Cumulatively, the family has spent over 3 million on Macharia’s treatment.