Fundraiser for baby Ayah Lundt, who needed worlds most expensive drug, finally hits Ksh.240 million

The family of Ayah Lundt, a 14-month-old baby who was diagnosed with a condition called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and needed the world’s most expensive drug to save her life, have a reason to smile.

They confirmed on Tuesday that after 33 weeks of agony they had hit the target of raising Ksh.240 million to acquire the life saving medication for their daughter.

The colossal amount was raised through support groups in Kenya, Denmark, all over Europe, and the US.

Top Kenyan celebrities among them Eric Omondi, Kwambox, Terence Creative, Robert Burale, Dr. Ofweneke, MC Jessy, Betty Kyallo and Wahu Kagwi among others were part of the campaign to help baby Ayah reach the target.

The celebrities hosted Instagram live sessions where they each urged their fans to contribute whatever they could towards baby Ayah’s aid.

In a statement posted on an Instagram page dubbed ‘Little Ayah’; the family said: “After 33 weeks of sleepless nights and tears, we are here!!! We want to thank God for bringing us this far, for blessing us immensely even when we fall short of His glory, for guiding us and getting us here. For health and wealth.”

“To our family and friends… You were the very first to know, we requested for your support, and you went all out for us, you fought for Ayah like your own, even when the world didn’t know about SMA or couldn’t fathom a single treatment could cost millions of dollars!!
Thank you for standing with us and helping us create a network and a community!” reads the post.

According to a CNN report, born in January last year at a whopping 8.3 pounds, the bubbly baby girl with dark curls and bright brown eyes hit all her developmental milestones.

By six months, she is reported to have been crawling and trying new foods. Bananas and mushy broccoli were her favorites. Avocados, not so much.

Then at nine months, her progress suddenly reversed. She could not lift her head while lying down, sit on her own or clap — all things she’d excitedly done before.

Her legs caved when she tried to crawl or stand. The key red flag came when she was unable to eat oatmeal with a spoon — something she’d done numerous times.

For a baby who loves her food, that was especially worrisome, her mother, Mary Mithika, told CNN by phone from their home in Bornholm, Denmark.

Ayah was then diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disease found in one in 10,000 children born worldwide.