When former Sofapaka prodigy Wisdom Naya was amputated due to a rare cancer condition, it sent shock in the Kenyan football landscape.

After all, this was the first case in the country’s football which, effectively, means that the career of the St. Anthony’s High School alumnus in Kitale has been abruptly cut short.

Last Friday, when most Kenyans were still recovering from the fun-fare of Christmas and New Year festivities, Naya was not part of it as he had just returned from India where he was diagnosed with Sarcoma, a mind-boggling type of cancer which necessitated the amputation of his left leg. 

Instead the affable lad was disembarking from the plane at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from India where he had just gone through the surgeon’s knife at Sash Hospital to amputate his leg for his career in able-bodied football to end-for good. 

Once he returned home, Naya’s tribulations reminded many of former Italian footballer Jamie Tregagskios who went through a similar ordeal.

At the age of 13, when he was in the books of Manchester City Academy, there were concerns when Tregagskios felt excruciating pain in his left hip.

The gnawing pain was initially thought to be caused by playing the sport he loved so much before tests showed he had osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer that starts in the bones and which necessitated amputation.

Tregagskios, who was touted to have a great future in the career, is now playing amputee football for his native country.

This is a replica to Naya’s case which hit his family like a thunderbolt considering that he grew up normally before the sad turn of events.

In his own words, Naya, who was diagnosed with Sarcoma, a rare type of cancer, said he is devastated more than words can explain but nonetheless said he cannot fault God for the catastrophe.

“I did not know why I could suddenly go numb when I was training alone when the Kenyan Premier League was halted to COVID-19. I continued training oblivious that my career was just about to end,’’

Added Naya: “This has left me tongue-tied and crest-fallen and I should not like the same to happen to any footballer. I’m devastated to say the least,”

Naya’s father Edward Onyango thanked God that the family was able to make the trip to India to save his son.