Battle with Hepatitis B: When her liver failed, her son became her lifeline

Patricia Karobia, a hepatitis B survivor who underwent a liver transplant in 2021 after developing liver cancer. Her son donated part of his liver to save her life. [Ryan Kerubo, Standard]

For years, Patricia Karobia went about her life without knowing that a virus was quietly damaging her liver.

A retired teacher who had spent much of her working life in classrooms across the country, Patricia was accustomed to the ordinary demands of work, family and everyday life. Then, one afternoon in 2011, while still teaching, she suddenly felt unwell. She left school intending to go home, but she never made it. Patricia fainted on the way and was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered that her haemoglobin level had fallen dangerously low.