Harambee Stars head coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee says he is lucky to be alive today.
In an exclusive interview with the Star on Monday afternoon, the celebrated tactician said he could have easily died in sleep if he had not made a timely trip to India where he is currently stuck after the government imposed travel restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Mulee said ear, nose and throat specialist Dr Kalpna Nagpla diagnosed him with a medical condition known as obstructive sleep apnea, which causes intense snoring and depletes oxygen from the body.
"The doctor told me that I could have easily died in my sleep given the condition depletes oxygen in the system and can easily end a patient's life if not treated well," Mulee said.
"It's a condition that gets me snoring so much and sometimes I even stay for one and half minutes without breathing. The oxygen level goes below the normal," he added.
Other symptoms associated with the condition include daytime sleepiness, snoring, gasping during sleep and insomnia.
There are also respiratory episodes of no breathing, breathing through the mouth, loud breathing or shortness of breath, hyperactivity or irritability.
Also common are fatigue, depression, dry mouth, grinding of the teeth, headache, lack of concentration, low libido, memory impairment and sore throat.
Mulee said that although the trip to India was meant for donating a kidney to his ailing brother, they ultimately shelved the whole idea after a professor convinced them the problem could be addressed without his brother necessarily undergoing the procedure.
He then decided to return home before the unexpected happened. He had already booked a ticket back to Kenya but made a point to do a body check before he travelled. That's when he found out he was suffering from the medical condition.
The Harambee Stars tactician was however quick to point out he was now on the path to full recovery, having already received the right treatment. He said he was homesick and yearning to return to embark on normal life.
"I had hoped to return the moment the doctors ruled out a surgery on my brother, but just when I was about to do so, all hell broke loose and the government imposed the travel restrictions," Mulee said.
Some of his friends and fans were anxious after Mulee shared a photo of himself in hospital alongside his elder brother and a medical practitioner. The picture was captioned, “We thank God for a successful procedure”. Details quickly emerged that the tactician had actually travelled to India as a kidney donor.