It was celebration time, as IREDE, a foundation formed to give succour to limbless and amputee children clocked one year. Hannah Ojo, who was at the cocktail reports.
The gentlemen and ladies who came for this event all turned out gaily dressed. The glistering lights and soft music set in motion the radiance expected of a cocktail, but that wasn’t the main source of attention. A set of special children, who stood out as champions, were actually the reason for this cocktail put together to celebrate 365 days of the registered existence of IREDE Foundation.
When they came out for a special appearance, the song ‘stand up for the champion’ filled the air. True to that altruism, they are the kids with roses splattered with thorns. They do not have limbs but thanks to IREDE, they can now walk again and jump around like normal kids. The rhythmic ‘thank you’ rendition from three-year old Beulah Chigbu evoked emotions; so also was the presentation by the other children. Crystal Chigbu, the founder of the NGO could not hold back the tears as she watched her daughter say ‘thank you.’ Beulah who was born with a missing tibia and patella in her right leg and had to go through amputation and prosthesis was the motivating force for her mom to establish IREDE last year. It was borne out of her vision to share her story of hope with parents and care-givers who have kids with limb loss. Supported by her husband, Zubby, who cheered her on, she has been able to canvass for donors whose seeds have been used to procure prosthesis for children without limps from indigent children.
Learning how some of the children came about their plight, wasn’t such a pleasant part of the evening though. The future ambition of 10-year old Dorcas Adepitan was to become a medical doctor, but that dream was almost cut short. She was playing in school on a fateful day when she was pushed by her classmate. The fall was fatal as it led to the amputation of her right leg because a cancerous tumour had developed on the upper part of the leg. She was adopted by the Sahara Charitable Foundation through IREDE’s “Adopt a child” sponsorship platform, which sponsored her prosthesis. She was full of life as she freely mixed with other kids and interacted with adults at the cocktail.
For nine-year old Chidiebere Chidiogwu, it was a delay too costly. The young chap was preparing for his sister’s wedding when the bathroom wall collapsed on his leg. Unsuspecting of the extent of the injury, his care-givers dilly-dallied by not seeking immediate medical help. The setback resulted in the amputation of 80 percent of his right leg. Thankfully though, Chidiebere now walks with the aid of prosthesis and is able to move around and play like other kids.
Amongst the kids, Isaac Osumah was however the star of the night. He was full of life and could not care less about the prying eyes of both the adults and the children present around him. Fate played a hard one on him from birth, even though his mother diligently followed her clinic schedules and ante-natal care appointments. When the time came to be delivered of the bundle of joy on June 16, 2009, the sight that greeted the mother was shocking. The baby arrived with deformed limbs. As if that was not enough, he came with two fingers only on each hand and no limb on his right leg from his knee downward. The Paediatric consultant who examined him diagnosed him as suffering from Congenital Limbs defects. This means that his fingers and right leg did not form properly. To make matters worse, Isaac’s parents were distraught to learn that nothing can be done to reverse the situation. But they had cause to smile again when the IREDE foundation met him in 2013 and gave him prosthesis.
Another tale that drew much sympathy was the case of Kelechi Omeje who became a victim of amputation when she was diagnosed with Gangrene. Her travail began on January 16, 2011, when a line was passed through her right leg to treat fever and diarrhea. Not long after the treatment, the little boy began to writhe in pain, even as her parents noticed that her right leg was shrinking. After about a month, the parents took her to an orthopaedic hospital where to their dismay, both legs were amputated two months later. Until now, her world was muted as her childhood thrills became suspended since she lacked the legs to move around. She was provided with prostheses for both legs last year when she came in contact with the IREDE foundation, and thankfully, she can now run around and play with other kids.
Speaking on the activities of the foundation, which have revolved around the drive of ‘extending limps and raising champions’ in the last one year, Mrs. Crystal Chigbu revealed that the foundation was able to provide six limbs last year. She also disclosed that the foundation has decided to step up its activities and reach out to more kids: “This year, we want to do 24 limbs. We hope to achieve this through donations from our partners and good-spirited Nigerians.”
