… Laments inability to raise N200,000  for child’s ‘adenotonsillectomy’ surgery

-By SANMI FALOBI-

Every mother’s joy is to see her child growing healthy, but for Mrs. Raheem Mistura Abolade, the past three years after giving birth to her last child has been tumultuous and much availed with stress and burden, due to recurring ill-health of the child. The last one year, especially, has been more frustrating due to her inability to raise the sum of N200,000 to undertake a remedial surgery for the child. Her hopes now lies in the hands of well-meaning Nigerians, who she hopes will assist with  funds for the surgery.

What should have been a bundle of joy to Mrs. Mistura Abolade as a mother, has become a burden of pain, which is draining her of all her income and exerting emotional and financial stress on her life due to the ill-health of Habeeb Idris, her third child who has been in and out of hospital admission for the treatment of a respiratory obstructive disease that is affecting the breathing and sleeping pattern of the boy.  Her inability to raise the sum of two hundred thousand naira (about 650 USD), which the management of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in October 2018 had estimated would be required to perform an adenotonsillectomy surgery on the child is also a very big burden.

According to the mother, little Habeeb, who would be three years old in August, was first diagnosed with pneumonia when he was about two months old and he was treated, but the ailment keeps recurring, resulting in him being admitted four times in the hospital.

“He was diagnosed with a kind of pneumonia at two months old. At the fourth time of his admission at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), we did series of tests and adenotonsillar was discovered,” Mrs. Mistura Abolade had earlier told Newdawn online, following an advice for her to use the media to bring the issue of her financial limitations to public light in soliciting well-meaning Nigerians to come to her aid and assist her in her rather helpless situation in order to save her child from the pathetic situation he was going through.

With Hebeeb strapped to her back, she explained that it was difficult for her child to breath properly as the channel the air passes from the lungs to the nose is badly affected and there is an obstruction that makes air passage difficult.

“The common physical symptoms include inability to breathe normally through his nose. He breathes through his mouth and it is terrible during rainy season when it is colder. He would cry at night when it becomes more difficult to breathe. The doctors said he has to be operated upon to correct the obstruction.

“Last year, they advised that he should be operated upon and when I asked for the estimation, they said it would cost about N200,000. They explained everything to us, and we rallied round for money but couldn’t meet up all through last year when he was booked for operation,” she narrated, sobbing.

“Before then, they have admitted him four times. He had pneumonia that had subsided but it always recur especially when the cold is much. It gives him fast breathing when his chest is congested. This occurs more during the rainy season.” She said.

She noted that the medical team at LASUTH have been of much assistant to her and little Habeeb and that based on tests carried out, which revealed adenotonsillar, they had recommended surgery as the only remedy.

“The estimates they gave us last year was N200,000 which we were not able to raise. Maybe the cost of the surgery might have even increased now, and we may need additional money for new tests, x-ray and other things”, she lamented in despair.

In a medical report/to whom it may concern letter dated 3^rd May, 2019, signed by Dr. Adeyinka A.P, a consultant E.N.T surgeon in LASUTH, it was stated that Habeeb, whose case was first presented to the ENT clinic in June 2018 was diagnosed with obstructive adenotonsillar hypertrophy with sleep apena and was scheduled for adenotonsillectomy on 23rd October 2018 but the surgery was not done due to financial constraint. The report stated that Habeeb has “history of excessive snoring and intermittent apneic episode while sleeping of about 1 year duration. There was history of recurrent bilateral nasal discharge and mouth breathing”. The report also stated that there was “history of recurrent lower respiratory tract infection requiring hospital admissions. He has used several oral and parenteral antibiotics without much improvement.”

According to Habeeb’s mother, raising the needed money for the operation, which should have been carried out in October 2018 has proved to be practically impossible, despite all efforts.

“I work with an agency under the Lagos Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) and we have sought for help from the local government and from individuals too but nothing much has come in. We have gone to the Government House in Alausa with letters as well but nothing has come forth. We have been running here and there since last year for the money, but we have not gotten much,” she said, calling on well-meaning Nigerians for help to save her son as a chunk of the family earnings go for medical bills and medication.

“We lived on 54 Mojisola Street, off College Road in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State but due to accommodation issues and related financial challenges, we have to move somewhere closer to the school of his elder ones.

“We trust God for donations for the surgery,” she said, with a hope that media publication by SDNonline and others would stir well-meaning Nigerians to come to her aid and save little Habeeb from the pains and agony being experienced.

This hope, is what she holds on to, earnestly, especially at this season of constant rains and very cold weather with the aggravated discomfort of heightened breathing difficulty for little Habeeb.

Support for the surgery for Habeeb can be paid to:

RAHEEM MISTURA ABOLADE, KEYSTONE BANK ACCOUNT NUMER 6010865888.

For additional details, please contact the editor, SDNonline.