The doctor who treated gospel singer Betty Bayo has opened up about the intense medical battle she faced before her death, explaining how acute myeloid leukaemia caused her body to deteriorate rapidly. Speaking at the Blue Springs Hotel on Thursday, November 13, 2025, Dr. Nderitu Wangui described the heartbreaking final hours, which began with an urgent call from hospital staff requesting a blood appeal.
“I am Dr. Nderitu Wangui. I want to share a simple account of how we reached this point and how much we tried before we lost Betty. I received a call very early in the morning from the people taking Betty to the hospital, requesting a blood appeal. Initially, we needed only three pints of blood for her platelets. At that moment, we did not yet have a diagnosis, and I want to be honest about that,” he said.
According to Dr. Nderitu, AML is both deceptive and aggressive. Early symptoms like fatigue and headaches appear only after blood levels have dropped dangerously low. In Betty’s case, by the time the medical team carried out the first transfusion, the cancer had already advanced to stage four, the point associated with bone marrow failure.
How did Betty Bayo’s condition progress so quickly?
“The reason is that AML, acute myeloid leukaemia, is a disease where the first symptoms, usually fatigue and headaches, appear only after blood levels have dropped significantly. By that time, the cancer has already progressed through stages one, two, and three, and the patient is essentially at stage four, which is the point of bone marrow failure,” Dr. Nderitu explained.
Although the initial transfusion went well and Betty was temporarily discharged, her condition worsened later that night. “When we performed the first transfusion, it went well, and Betty was discharged temporarily. However, later at 9 pm, her condition worsened, and she was admitted to the nearest hospital, AAR,” he said.
The team soon discovered that her body was using up blood faster than it could be replaced. Despite assurances that nine pints would be available, the hospital faced shortages. One dose of platelets requires six litres of blood, the amount a single donor can give. “We wondered where the blood from the first transfusion had gone. The blood bank assured us we would get at least nine pints of blood. One dose of platelets requires six litres of blood, which is what one donor can give,” he noted.
Dr. Nderitu described a desperate cycle of bringing in donors, processing blood, and transfusing it directly to keep her alive. It was during this critical process that the team finally confirmed she had AML. By 3 am, her bone marrow had stopped producing platelets, and her body had entered an autoimmune state, consuming the few platelets that remained.
“It reached a point where we could not sustain the blood supply in the hospital. We were constantly bringing donors, processing the blood through a machine, and transfusing it directly to Betty. By 3 am, we confirmed that she had AML. Her bone marrow had stopped producing platelets, and even the few that were produced were being consumed by her body in an autoimmune response. At that stage, her body had effectively started feeding on itself,” he said.
Betty Bayo, known widely for her hit “Busy Busy,” died on Monday, November 10, 2025, at 1:03 pm in the private wing of Kenyatta National Hospital. Her family said the loss was the will of God and explained that she had been moved from AAR Hospital to Kenyatta National Hospital when her condition sharply deteriorated.
Her story has left fans across the country grieving a beloved artist whose life was cut short by a relentless disease.
By Lucky Anyanje