Virginia mother dies on Kenya mission trip

Ayla Garcia, a 36‑year‑old mother of four from Virginia, travelled to Kenya in late June 2026 with a church group to support the Zion Family orphanage. While in Nairobi she contracted a severe salmonella infection, which her family attributes to contaminated ice. Because Garcia lived with sickle cell disease, the infection quickly spread to her kidneys, liver and bloodstream, requiring intensive‑care treatment, multiple blood transfusions, dialysis and leading to jaundice.

Garcia was hospitalized at Aga Khan University Hospital, where doctors determined that a medical evacuation to the United States was not feasible and would have cost over $250,000. A GoFundMe campaign was launched, eventually raising more than $33,800 to cover her medical expenses and the repatriation of her remains; the hospital required full payment before releasing her body.

Garcia posted a video from her hospital bed on July 19 expressing hope of returning home, but she died on July 24. The case underscores heightened infection risks for travelers with sickle cell disease and has prompted fundraising efforts to address the substantial costs of her care and repatriation.