For 20-year-old Ali Osman, every day is a battle against Crohn’s disease, a relentless condition that has defined his life since he was just eight years old.
The young man from Marsabit County has endured 12 years of hospital stays, multiple surgeries in Kenya and abroad, and unimaginable pain. But hope flickered recently when Ali and his father traveled to Turkey for an experimental procedure, the closest thing to relief for a disease with no definitive cure.
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Funded by heartfelt donations from family, the Marsabit community, and well-wishers, the surgery was a success. Alhamdulillah, Ali is recovering. Yet victory is bittersweet. A staggering USD 22,000 (approximately KSh 3 million) hospital bill stands between him and discharge as of January 24, 2026.
Worse still, post-surgery protocol demands Ali remain in Turkey for at least five more months under close medical monitoring to safeguard his fragile progress.
“We raised funds for the operation out of love and desperation,” a family spokesperson shared. “Now, we’re stranded without means to clear this debt or sustain ourselves abroad.”
The family humbly appeals for urgent support via their M-Pesa PayBill.
Paybill No: 522533.
Account No: 8030266.
Ali’s ordeal spotlights the harsh realities of chronic illness in resource-limited settings. Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition, ravages the digestive system, causing severe pain, malnutrition, and life-threatening complications.
While community generosity bridged the surgery gap, the recovery phase threatens to undo it all.
