Ebube Eruchalu and Eniola Adepoju
Mrs. Olayemi Ashani, a petty trader, living at the Dopemu area of Lagos State, has called on well-meaning Nigerians to come to the rescue of her baby, who desperately needs N730, 000 for eyes surgery.
Olayemi said that the
baby, Joshua, is their second child and suffers from Hemorrhagic choroidal
detachment and left retinal detachment of the eyes.
Hemorrhagic choroidal
detachment is a hemorrhage in the suprachoroidal space or within the choroid, caused
by a rupture in the choroid vessels. Retinal detachment on the other hand, is an
emergency situation in which a critical layer of tissue-the retina-at the back
of the eye, pulls from the layer of blood vessels that provides it with oxygen
and nutrients.
The symptoms of this
ailment are appearance of sudden flashes of light or a shadow in an individual
vision. The sufferer may experience dilated pupil, partial loss of vision, or
sensitivity to light. If the ailment is not treated, it can progress from minor
to severe blindness within hours or days.
According to Olayemi,
whose husband Michael is a printer, Joshua was born a premature. Three months
after his birth, the couple discovered Joshua couldn’t see anything and the
eyes were incessantly blinking.
The weeping mom
narrated: “We went to the Igando General Hospital, where the doctors told us
that they wouldn’t be able to do anything until after six months. After six
months, we returned to the hospital, and we were told that a test had to be
done at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja. We took
the test result to the doctors at Igando, and the doctors said the hospital
didn’t have the equipment to work on him. We were referred to Lagos University
Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Mushin, Lagos State. When we got to LUTH,
we were referred to a private hospital because LUTH didn’t have the equipment. The
private hospital, Eye Solution Hospital, is located at Ilasa,” said Olayemi.
The desperate mom lamented
that Joshua’s predicament was as a result of his being delivered when it was
not yet time.
She said: “The ailment
was due to his being born a premature. He had to stay in the incubator; the
incubator light affected his eyes. Whenever I’m breastfeeding him, he wouldn’t
look at me, rather he would be facing something else. It makes me so sad.”
The child’s father,
Micheal, explained that Eye Solution Hospital told them that Joshua would have
to undergo three stages of eye surgeries and each costs N365,000.
Micheal further explained: “The first operation has
been done, so it’s remains two. After the first surgery, we discovered a little
change in his sight. For instance, if we pointed a torch to his eyes, we would
see eyes movement, which was not like that before.”
Michael, who revealed that he had been running from
pillar to post to raise money, said that he presently needs assistance. He said
that he had received initial support from friends and family members for the
first stage of the surgery.
He further noted: “We always go for checkups because
the eye drop prescribed for him costs about N8000 per bottle. The bottle is
very small and the drops are administered every eight hours. We are desperate
and want Nigerians to help us. Right now, we don’t know what else to do, and we
can’t just sit down, watching and do nothing. Earlier in September, someone
referred my wife to an office at Alausa, where we dropped a letter, asking for
financial assistance, but till now, we’ve not heard from them.”
Name:
Ashani Michael, First Bank: 3021946092, Phone No: 08028642999.
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