Like his peers, he had anticipated a brighter future, fueled by a vision to attend a higher institution, graduate with a degree and become a professional. But that dream is, at least for now, shaky and has been put on hold due to his current state of health.
Eighteen-year-old Stephen Oluwagbemiga Adekunle, is currently bed-ridden, suffering from a chronic kidney disease.
According to a medical report issued by the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, dated February 24, “Stephen has a history of breathlessness of three days cough and fever, which was diagnosed at Babcock University about four months ago. He had three sessions of haemodialysis before.”
The report, written by Dr. Oyebisi O.O, on behalf of the consultant nephrologist, medical investigations on the teenager have revealed chronic kidney disease in the end stage, and this has necessitated putting Stephen on weekly dialysis.
The report, however, stated further that the young man, “will benefit from kidney transplant, because haemodyalisis is not sustainable on a long-term basis and for better quality of life and survival.”
Therefore, today, only two options are open to Stephen to continue to live a quality life – either to have a kidney transplant in Nigeria or a foreign hospital.
If the kidney transplant is to be done in Nigeria, his indigent family would have to cough up between N8 million and N10 million, depending on the dialysis centre, where the surgery will be done.
If the surgery takes place outside Nigeria, in a foreign hospital, it will cost his family between N20 million and N25 million.
The reality, however, is that Stephen’s poor parents can’t even afford anything near these figures! It is thus for this reason that the teenager is earnestly appealing to all Nigerians for help, so that he could eventually be restored to full health.
Stephen needs to urgently go for a kidney transplant, as any further delay may prove fatal. The family is, therefore, seeking financial assistance from well meaning Nigerians to enable him to pay for the necessary surgeries and bring him closer to realising his lifelong ambition.
Contact details: 08167464674; 08147434776. Account Name: Adekunle Oluwagbemiga Stephen. Account number: 0234318214, WEMA Bank
