Janet Kanini Ikua Biography
Janet Kanini Ikua has been hosting NTV’s N-Soko Property Show and she is a former NTV News Anchor while dabbling as the Pampers brand ambassador. But she is currently in transition. She feels she has a responsibility to give back to Kenyans for standing up with her. Her focus is now on healthcare and apart from creating awareness about lung cancer and cancer in general, she is also helping Kenyans who want to travel abroad for treatment to have a pleasant experience, their sickness notwithstanding.
“I work with an agency – Doctors Beyond Borders. The agency links international patients with doctors, hospitals, hotels and even transport. They are not limited to India alone; wherever you want to go for treatment, they are there to help you. You can reach them on Kenya@doctorsbb. co.ke and telephone number is 0717871827/ 0734950351. The reason we are helping people this way is because many people have approached us asking how we went to India and the experience. We had a good experience with Doctors Beyond Borders and we would be glad to be of help,” she explains.
Janet Kanini Ikua also hopes that she will be instrumental in ensuring Kenya gets a PET scan machine and Kenyans get access to affordable and decentralised healthcare.
Janet Kanini Ikua health
Janet Kanini Ikua challenging health journey began in April 2015 when she was diagnosed with Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) that had resulted in blood clots in her legs. For two months she received what at the time appeared to be successful treatment in Nairobi. But a racing heart and breathlessness after minimal physical effort remained a concern to the doctor. In mid-June, Janet Kanini Ikua would learn from a cardiologist, Dr. Muriithi Nyamu, that there was a blood clot in her heart and in the pulmonary artery leading to her lungs. She was immediately admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care/High Dependency Unit. During this hospital stay, she underwent a minimally invasive but critical, very high risk procedure to remove the clot in her heart. Ten days later, Kanini walked out of the hospital.
Two weeks later during a routine check-up the doctors confirmed a clot had recurred in her right leg. Fortunately, Dr. Nyamu had inserted a blood filter that stopped the clot from making its way to vital organs. Over the next few weeks in July and August, Janet Kanini Ikua went through more checks, including a bronchoscopy, colonoscopy, gastroscopy so that the doctors could figure out what was the source of the frequent clotting despite getting blood thinners and wearing compression stockings. The bronchoscopy revealed an “unidentified” mass in her lungs.
In August, she managed to sneak back to work and host a couple of shows to create DVT awareness and also joined her Precious Blood (Nairobi) High school classmates for their 20th year reunion.
Anyhow, there is only so much prodding and poking that one can take especially when plausible answers and diagnoses are evasive. What Janet needed was a PET scan. The CT and MRI scans were not, in her case, adequate to give the docs that medical “aha” moment. There isn’t a PET scanner in Kenya – probably because PET is nuclear medicine that uses a radioactive substance and requires highly-specialized facilities and expertise. The operating costs also are prohibitively high.
In September, Janet Kanini Ikua (with hubby) decided to go to New Delhi, India where she could receive medical answers and proper, thorough diagnoses.
On September 13, Janet Kanini Ikua received another diagnosis – the PET scan (and additional tests) revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung that has spread to the abdomen and lymph nodes in the neck area. Sadly and simply put, that unidentified mass in her lungs turned out to be stage 4-lung cancer that has spread from the primary site to other areas. This was not the medical answer that Janet Kanini Ikua was expecting.
The silver lining is that her medical team has come up with a comprehensive treatment plan that includes scheduled cycles of chemotherapy and Janet Kanini Ikua remains her usual upbeat and positive self.
Janet Kanini Ikua Healed of lung cancer
On 14th February 2016 Janet Kanini Ikua went to have facebook page to post that she was healed of the lung cancer.
“My dear friends, relatives, colleagues, supporters, prayer warriors. I have wonderful news! Our prayers have been answered! I am redeemed from the affliction of cancer!” said Janet in a long pots on her Facebook page.
“God has remained true to His word and healed me from Cancer and I give Him all Glory and Honour and Praise for this far that He has brought me!” an elated Janet added.
Janet Kanini Ikua revealed that her doctors in India, where she had been receiving treatment were amazed by the results of the PET MRI scan, which showed that the cancer lesions that had been in her liver, bones, abdomen, lymph nodes and lungs were no more.
“They said that many people must have been praying for me because these results are rare in a stage 4 diagnosis, and I told them “Yes. I have a prayer army. Prayer warriors who held me up when I was too weak to pray and believe,” she added.
While thanking well-wishers who had offer both prayers and financial support, Janet revealed how she had become “so emotional” as she battled the ravaging disease.
“You guys – may God meet you all at your points of need. May He open His floodgates of blessings to you and yours!” said Janet.
But she also has to deal with a blood clot in her heart which she thankfully said had reduced in size from being 1.5cm by 1.4cm to 8mm by 7 mm across.
“Oral blood thinner pills refused to work on me last year June, so I am still on twice daily injections, now for seven months, yet they ideally shouldn’t be used for more than two weeks. But this too shall pass,” said the NTV’S N-soko show host.
Janet Kanini Ikua still has another four cycles of chemotherapy with milder drugs to sustain the progress made, before another review to also check the blood clotting.
Janet Kanini Ikua was full of praise to her husband whom she said had stood by her all the way and was her beacon of hope.
Her husband, she said, also keep it a secret reports from doctors which indicated that Janet had between six months and a year to live.
“Hubby refused to tell me because he knew it would stress me more. And I’m glad he didn’t tell me, because I would probably have been sadder and frustrated, looking at my two babies, wondering whether I was feeling more sick today because I’m dying, whether I’d be there for them at their next birthdays,” said Janet who credited God for her miraculous healing.
“Hubby carried this burden alone, and for that I will forever be grateful to God for giving him the strength and courage to do so as he watched me go through chemotherapy,” she added.
Her doctors too, Janet said, played a great role in diagnosing her problem and seeing to it that she had beaten cancer.
Janet Kanini Ikua also revealed her fears of dying from the disease adding, “As depressing as these thoughts were, they brought about something that I’m happy to admit – they made me realize that, because life is unpredictable and I could die at any moment, from anything, I must live in a manner that is worthy of me going to heaven the second I stop breathing. Always be ready.”
Janet Kanini Ikua Family
Janet Kanini Ikua is married to George Ikua and they are blessed with two children.
Janet Kanini Ikua Photo
Janet Kanini Ikua Photo
Janet Kanini Ikua Video
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