Obinna Anokwuru would have loved to
celebrate his 35th birthday partying with family and friends on October
23, 2014, but the
young man’s fate did not afford him such pleasure. In
fact, only a few of his friends and family could wish him happy
birthday: they seem not to have the emotional strength to wish him one.
In
2012 when Anokwuru was feeling unusually weak and dizzy, he had no idea
of the pain ahead. Handsome and well-built, some of the female friends
that once admired him had since stopped calling him. The feeling of love
for him has now turned to that of sympathy – how emotions can quickly
fade!
After proper diagnosis by
medical experts, it was discovered that one of his kidneys had failed.
And since then, the once smiles-beaming face of the bachelor has shrunk.
Sitting down on a couch in his apartment with a protruded belly, it
seems like his world is crashing right in his face. His business is gone
already; and he is afraid his life may be gone also if he is unable to
raise the fund for a kidney transplant in an Indian hospital.
The Edo State indigene told Saturday PUNCH,
“Two years ago, I came home unusually feeling dizzy and weak. I thought
it was malaria or probably fatigue. When it was getting worse, I went
for a medical checkup and there I got the most unexpected news about me.
“Doctors
said I had kidney failure. I was shedding tears because I knew what
that meant. I was told to start dialysis, which has wiped away all my
savings and other resources. If I fail to go for the dialysis, I feel
severe pain in my body. This suffering is too much for me and I wish
this cup will pass over me. This is not the kind of life I wished for.”
Since
he barely had the strength to talk long, his sister, Mrs. Lorretta
Udemba, said since his predicament began, friends and relatives had
spent almost all their life savings to save her sibling. She added that
his situation had become a nightmare to the family because “we are
drained of all our resources.”
“Obinna’s
medical condition was first detected in 2012, and he immediately
started dialysis, which the family was able to sustain for some months.
But we have not been able to continue with it due to financial
constraints. Right now, his condition has deteriorated as you can see
how helplessly he is sitting,” she said.
Udemba
added that her brother used to go for dialysis twice a week to stay fit
– each session costing N50,000. She also disclosed that every month
since 2012 when the illness started, the family spends about N500,000:
N400,000 for dialysis and N100,000 for drugs and other contingencies.
This has caused the family to be financially strained.
But
despite the dialysis, his condition is not getting any better, and
doctors have advised that kidney transplant in an Indian hospital would
be the way out of his predicament – at a cost of N8m ($48,000).
Unfortunately, the family does not have the wherewithal to bear such
cost.
Born to the family of late
Bright and Celine Anokwuru, Obinna’s father was once the national
auditor of the Nigeria Labour Congress, where he served together with
the current governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole.
“We
urgently need the help of kind-hearted people to assist us with the
cost of sending him abroad for the kidney transplant, which has been
estimated at N8m, excluding the amount we will give to the kidney donor.
We will not take any kind gesture for granted. Please come to our aid
before my brother dies,” Udemba pleaded.
Obinna
and his sister, Lorretta Udemba, could be reached on 08029002341,
08033026271, and 07033462302. His account details are also as follows:
Name: Anokwuru Victor Obinna; Account numbers: GT BANK (0116983382) or
ECOBANK (2951027692).
Source:Punch News
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