“My daughter was put on life support in the ICU ward for a month!” Betty Kyallo opens up about her daughter’s condition

Image: Betty Kyallo’s daughter

As a mother, the biggest worry one carries around is whether you can protect your child from things like accidents, dirt and mostly illness.

But as much as a mother can be protective of her child, somethings tend to remain uncontrollable and no one knows this best than Betty Kyallo!

Baby Ivanna

Having raised her daughter as a single parent, the news anchor has proven to go to lengths to ensure her baby girl Ivanna has everything she needs – but little did we know the reality of things back at their home.

Ivanna’s illness

Well thanks to a detailed post shared by Betty Kyallo we understand that baby Ivanna had been struggling with a certain illness, ADEM (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis) a rare autoimmune disease that is marked by a sudden widespread attack of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord.

Baby Ivanna

Through her Instagram page the lass went on to narrate how she helplessly watched her daughter struggle to walk, eat and even breath…Betty Kyallo went on to write;

As another year once again comes to an end I can’t help but reflect and look back as this year has been a special one; difficult and extremely challenging to me and my family. It took a lot of convincing for me to share what I am about to share due to its sensitivity and privacy in nature, however I feel I won’t have done my duty to thank God for not abandoning us If I decide to be silent about it. If at the end of this message I will give heart to someone going through the same challenge, anxiety, fear and Loneliness I’ll sleep better. Early this year my sweet lovely daughter Ivanna was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease. It was marked by a sudden widespread attack of inflammation in the Brain and spinal cord called ADEM (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis)

Baby Ivanna

Betty went on to add;

Basically this disease damages the protective coating of the nerve fibers called myelin that act as conducters to all muscles for basic human functionality. What this means is that one day my beautiful four year old daughter stopped walking, soon stopped talking, soon stopped eating soon was so drowsy couldn’t keep her eyes open and thereafter went into a deep coma that she had to be taken to ICU and put on life suppport for a whole month.  For the Larger part of her diagnosis doctors couldn’t even figure out what was wrong with her. We did numerous tests looking at every organ and blood but for a long time of hospitalization in Nairobi Hospital Children’s ward we couldn’t find it. All the while she kept deteriorating every day losing one function after another. Today she could talk the next day she couldn’t make a sentence. Etc. Thanks to God and the brilliant doctors that were so kind and gracious in their work and how they diligently treated my daughter especially Dr Ismail primary ICU pediatric carer for my daughter, the overall lead Neurologist carer Dr Oyatsi and ICU nurses, Ward doctors and nurses we finally found a name to what was eating her. ADEM. As a mother this was my lowest time, I was crushed every day seeing my daughter wasting away and Couldn’t do anything. Full post on my Verified Facebook Fan page BETTY KYALLO. SHE IS FULLY HEALED. AMEN! ????

About this writer:

Pauline Syombua

Content Developer IG: Kermbua