Beyond the smile: Lucy Kahoro's 15-year journey with Type 2 diabetes

 Lucy Kahoro, a 38-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two, struggles with Type 2 diabetes, a battle she continues to face with admirable courage. [Rodgers Otiso, Standard]

It is 11am in Nairobi when I meet Lucy Kahoro, a 38-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two. From her radiant smile, one wouldn’t suspect that she has been battling a chronic illness for the past 15 years.

Lucy is jovial, presentable and appears every bit as vibrant as one would expect from someone dedicated to nurturing young minds. Yet behind her cheerful outlook lies a daily struggle with Type 2 diabetes, a battle she continues to face with admirable courage and unrelenting hope.

“I’m just grateful to be alive,” Lucy says. “So many of my friends and people I know who had diabetes are no longer with us,” she says.

Lucy’s life took a drastic turn in 2011, a year that started with joy and promise but quickly became the beginning of a long, unpredictable journey with a condition she never saw coming. She recalls waking up one morning feeling inexplicably fatigued. Then came frequent urination, blurry vision and mood swings.

“I remember a friend pointing out someone walking toward our shop, but I couldn’t see clearly. That’s when I realised something wasn’t right,” she recounts.

Without delay, Lucy sought medical attention. Tests confirmed she had Type 2 diabetes, a condition she didn’t understand at the time and struggled to accept.

“I kept asking myself how? Why me? There were no clear answers, just that I had to start treatment immediately,” she explains.

At 24, Lucy was prescribed oral medication and instructed to adopt a strict diet and exercise regimen. “They told me there’s no cure for the disease, but it can be managed,” she says. “It wasn’t easy. It still isn’t. But I had to accept, adjust and move on, she explains.

Over the years, Lucy has learned to manage her condition, but not without challenges. In 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, she contracted the virus. “I was already living with diabetes and then got Covid. It was terrifying. I had to quarantine and later developed pneumonia. I was bedridden for six weeks,” she recalls.

Even after recovery, diabetes remained a formidable opponent. “It fluctuates. One moment I feel okay, the next I’m exhausted and my vision blurs again,” she says, adding that she now wears spectacles and has had to transition from tablets to daily insulin injections.

“At first, insulin was expensive, but now I’m under insurance. I still buy syringes, but it’s manageable. For many people, though, managing diabetes is a huge burden,” she emphasises.

Lucy speaks about the social challenges that accompany her diagnosis. “I faced stigma, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. People would say I must have stepped on something bad or was bewitched.”

Despite it all, Lucy remains grounded, crediting her support system to her husband, family and faith. 

Her message to people battling the condition is clear: “This isn’t a death sentence. You can live a full life. Follow medical advice, eat well, get screened, pray and stay hopeful. Join support groups both at the clinic and online. You’ll find strength in community.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 420 million people globally live with diabetes, with four in five residing in low and middle-income countries. In Kenya, diabetes accounts for 40 per cent of deaths from non-communicable diseases annually.

In 2013, WHO projected that Kenya’s diabetes prevalence would rise from 3.3 per cent to 4.5 per cent by 2025. The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2022 reports that only 1 per cent of men and women aged 15-59 have been diagnosed with diabetes. Of these, more men (73 per cent) than women (63 per cent) are on medication.

Dr Yubrine Moraa, Consultant Physician and Cardiologist at Primecare Heart Clinic, confirms a concerning rise in Type 2 diabetes cases among women in their 30s and 40s.

“As a female cardiologist and women’s heart health champion, I’ve watched with growing concern the rise in the number of women in their 30s and 40s being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in Kenya in recent years. The drivers are multifaceted. Urbanisation has changed how we live and eat; most of us are moving less and consuming more processed foods,” she explains.

Dr Moraa highlights the unique challenges faced by women. “For women especially, the juggling between work, family and societal expectations often leaves very little time for self-care. Add hormonal changes, stress and the lingering impact of gestational diabetes, and the risk only increases.”

She adds that managing diabetes, particularly for women in rural or low-income settings is riddled with challenges. “Access to care is uneven. In some places, even getting to a clinic means walking long distances or relying on unreliable transport. Medications like metformin or insulin are not always available in public hospitals and glucometers are often a luxury,” she adds.

These include heart attacks, kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage and even complications in pregnancy. “And yet, many early signs of excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, blurry vision are easy to dismiss as just being tired or ageing,” she says.

“Our public health system still struggles to provide proactive care. Many countries lack proper testing kits, regular follow-up care and patient education. We’re often reactive instead of preventive, “Dr Moraa also critiques the current healthcare system.

Diet plays a crucial role in both the onset and management of diabetes. According to Dr Moraa, “Our cultural food choices heavy in carbohydrates and sugars are not diabetes-friendly. Change requires education and access to healthier options, “.

According to the WHO, the global number of people with diabetes rose from 200 million in 1990 to 830 million in 2022, with low and middle-income countries seeing the most rapid increase. Diabetes and its complications, such as kidney disease, caused over 2 million deaths in 2021 alone.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that 537 million people aged 20-79 had diabetes in 2021, a figure projected to hit 783 million by 2045. Alarmingly, around 240 million people are undiagnosed.

Kenya has one of the lowest rates of undiagnosed diabetes in Africa at 44 per cent, ranking fifth behind Mozambique, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia. Still, this figure falls short of the WHO’s target of diagnosing 80 per cent of diabetics by 2030.

Isaac Ogutu, Medical Laboratory Officer and Founder of Afya Fitness20 Healthcare Initiative and Consult-Afya TeleHealth, explains that Type 2 diabetes is influenced by both genetics and lifestyle. “Obesity, smoking, alcohol, physical inactivity and poor diets high in sugar and refined carbs are key contributors,” he says.

Lucy echoes a call for support. “Managing this condition is expensive. I urge the government to support people with diabetes the way they support people with HIV. Medicine should be affordable and accessible. I have a friend who spends Sh108 daily on diabetes care, that’s a lot for many families.”

Lucy smiles again, embodying the resilience she has shown throughout her journey. “If you met me today, you wouldn’t know I have diabetes. I live, I love, I laugh and I don’t let it define me. Let’s support one another and show that life with diabetes can still be good.