Dr Catherine Nyongesa’s story from a poverty-stricken background to becoming Kenya’s first female radiation oncologist is one full of inspiration.
She exemplifies the true meaning of dedication, hard work and tenacity.
Here is her journey to becoming a billionaire as told by WoK,
Background and Education
Born in 1970, Dr Catherine Nyongesa was the first born in a family of ten children. Her parents eked a living by engaging in odd jobs to support their family.
As the older sibling, she was in charge of the young ones, making sure everything in the house ran smoothly.
In terms of academia, the doctor always put in the work and was able to join high school where her excellence continued to shine through.
After high school, she joined the University of Nairobi for a Bachelor of medicine and surgery degree. At the University, she continued to work hard, especially after seeing her father return to school to pursue his dream as well.
While she was in her third year of medical school, he joined KMTC to pursue Public Health. This was nearly two decades after dropping out of school.
Employment and deciding to become an oncologist
At one point, her sister got diagnosed with cancer, choriocarcinoma. It is this experiences that planted in her the seed of becoming an oncologist. After graduating and interning at Kakamega, she moved back to Nairobi and was employed at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
Thereafter, she joined South Africa’s University of Witwatersrand to pursue a Master of Medicine in Radiation Oncology. Upon graduating, she returned to Kenya and was employed at Kenyatta National Hospital as a consultant radiation oncologist.
She would later team up with her husband to establish Texas Cancer Center in Nairobi. Her husband had worked as a pharmacist in Texas for a long time, her last born was born in Texas and the largest cancer center is in Texas, hence, the reason they named the Hospital Texas.
Personal Life and Family
The oncologist gave birth to her firstborn during her internship and the second born while pursuing her master’s degree.
In an interview with Lynn Ngugi, she said their first meeting with her husband and the decision to get married was made on phone.
A colleague had asked her to see a relative who was suffering from cancer. She was hesitant to interfere as she wasn’t her patient but agreed.
After seeing her, the patient’s brother who was in the USA asked to speak to her. They talked on phone and with time a romantic relationship blossomed. The two got married when she was 40-years-old.
Illicit brew
Apart from helping her mum sell illicit brew when she was young, she helped cater for the fees of her nine siblings, most of whom have gone on to have successful careers.
While both of her parents are deceased, they lived to see her success. Her father also graduated from KMTC, worked in the health sector and was retired at the time of his death.
