Popular TikTok content creator Timothy Kayanja, a.k.a Jayden, gave his fans a serious scare last Friday when he was rushed to TMR International Hospital, struggling to breathe.
Doctors say the 23-year-old, who has lived with sickle cell disease his entire life, arrived in severe pain with oxygen levels dangerously low at 70%. He was quickly admitted to the ICU and put on oxygen support.
According to Dr Erasmus Okello, Jayden was experiencing an acute chest syndrome and vaso-occlusive crisis two of the most life-threatening complications in sickle cell patients. Tests also confirmed that hydroxyurea a drug commonly used to manage the disease was no longer helping and was instead causing complications.
“Each time he was placed on hydroxyurea, his bone marrow’s ability to produce blood cells dropped beyond what is expected,” Dr Okello explained.
Because of that, the medical team had to stop the drug completely and put him on other medicine like folic acid as they explore safer options.
But here’s the bigger issue: Uganda barely has haematologists, the specialists who handle blood disorders like sickle cell.
Dr Oscar Mugerwa says a bone marrow transplant remains Jayden’s best hope, but the procedure requires expert care and comes with a shocking price tag — $40,000 to $150,000 (over Shs140m – Shs530m).
Luckily, friends, fans, and well-wishers have joined the fundraising drive. By Tuesday, a combined Shs76m+ and $21,000+ had been raised through mobile money and online channels. The target is $100,000 to cover both the transplant and after-care.
Uganda is among the top four countries hit hardest by sickle cell disease, after Nigeria, DR Congo and Tanzania. Every year, up to 25,000 Ugandan babies are born with the condition and in some regions like Northern and Eastern Uganda, as many as 1 in 5 people carry the sickle cell trait.
Doctors say hydroxyurea is still the main lifeline for many patients but only when it’s closely monitored.
“It remains the cornerstone of treatment,” Dr Okello said.
“But patients must be reviewed regularly to ensure the drug is helping, not harming.”
The Ministry of Health continues to urge couples to screen for sickle cell before marriage to reduce newborn infections and ease the growing national burden.
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