'My grandma was diagnosed with cancer, two weeks after I lost all my jobs,' - Jahmby Koikai

Piece by: Peninah Njoki
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With the current mass job loss at K24, Jahmby Koikai has advised those who lost their jobs to take one day at a time as God has other plans for their lives.

Taking to her social media Jahmby penned,

'I (was going to do a video lakini baridi ya Nairobi😊).

I lost all my jobs in 2015. I was working on 2 radio stations and a TV show. I missed ONE TV episode due to extremely horrific period pain.

I always made it known to all my employers that I had bad period pain and needed 7 days off work every month.

I missed one show and the producer didn't care to understand that I was sick. Anyway I got dropped from the TV schedule for missing one episode and I didn't even know I had Endometriosis.

I tried to focus on radio but my health was deteriorating and I could barely go up the stairs. The tsunami that shakes media houses was here once again. This one saw 200 people declared redundant. I took my letter and went home.'

Jahmby added,

As you all know I was raised by my late grandma and mom. On that fateful day when we were laid off, I went home to find my grandma in great stomach pain.

Two weeks later she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. I was getting worse and was later diagnosed with Stage 4 Thoracic, Pelvic Endometriosis and Adenomyosis. My soundsystem was also going down.

I'm grateful for @selectortechnix who'stood by me mpaka sahi na tutapenya.😊

I was caught up in a pandemic-like situation. I've been off formal employment for 5 years. In the last 4 years I've been in and out of hospital battling a grueling journey.

I came back home last year and I'm rebuilding my life then Covid-19 happened but I remain hopeful as ever. I'm in a beautiful creative space at the moment.

To my fellow journalists, who've lost their jobs in this season, it's raw. It's painful. Friends will disown you. You will be lonely. Feel the pain. Acknowledge it but don't let it crush you.'

 Jahmby went on to advise,

'This is a great season to rest. Re-energize, keep the faith, stay hopeful in God. You have so many other unexplored gifts and talents.

Thank God for social media platforms we can now create different products for specific audiences.

Take your time. It gets better with time. The future is bright and God is in control.'