Months ago, her plight was brought to the public domain. Yet, little Fatima still beaFourrs her pain as she waits for funds for treatment, Bukola Fasuyi
When her story broke, a number of Nigerians expressed sympathy and that raised her family’s hope of succor.
However, months after the news broke, help is yet to come the way of young Fatima Usman as she continues to battle two life threatening ailments at the same time.
Like her peers, Fatima had the dream of running around with her siblings and friends, studying to excel in school and become a successful legal luminary; today, all these seem a tall dream as she- silently awaits death with unusual calmness for a child her age.
At five, Fatima Usman’s life is gradually ebbing and like a candle in the wind may be snuffed out anytime soon if urgent help does not come her way.
According to the medical diagnosis, little Fatima has a heart disease and a life threatening malignant ulcer that is about to render her armless; and rapidly spreading to other parts of her body.
Before the diagnosis, Fatima was a bubbling kid with big dreams, high hopes and strong will. Neither she nor her parents anticipated such conditions she presently lives with until two years ago, precisely 2011, when she suddenly developed incessant unusual body temperatures.
According to her mother, Wunmi Usman, “In 2011, we noticed she was always getting sick and running very high temperature. We took it as malaria and gave her some malaria drugs. The temperature stopped for few days but later came back. We took her to a nearby hospital and she was treated for malaria again.”
After several days of her persistent ill-health and she began to emaciate, Wunmi said she took her to a General Hospital where she was diagnosed with a hole-in-the heart.
“We had taken her to a private hospital and at the hospital, we were referred to the General Hospital where it was discovered that she has a hole in her heart and would need to travel to India for treatment,” said Wunmi.
While still thinking of how to raise the needed money, another tragedy struck the little girl and her family. She was struck by another ailment.
“ We were still thinking about how to run around to raise the money, when, on a particular day in 2011, she was sent on her errand and on her way home she fell on her right arm by the elbow. We applied some ointment to the elbow to reduce the pain, thinking the pain would soon go away.”
“Before we knew what was happening, the hand began to swell few days later. We started to apply treatment to it but it refused to heal. We took her to the hospital and the hand was treated but we were surprised that the pores began to come out from the elbow some days after the treatment at the hospital. By the time we took her back to the General Hospital, the injury had become worsened,” her mother reports sadly.
“It was at the General Hospital that the injury was diagnosed of ulcer. Right now, the hospital said we need N2.5million for the treatment of the heart and the hand,” Wunmi concludes with a sigh.
Fatima’s mother said when neighbours drew her attention to her daughter’s story in the newspapers after exhausting all available means of raising money, she was elated and hopeful that their long search for a lasting solution might be around the corner. However, she says the hope is fast turning into despair as help is yet to come their way. Their search for the solution to her child’s health problem seems still far.
Wunmi Usman, the mother of the girl barely able to hold back her tears is pleading with well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the family financially so as to save the life of the child.
“I want Nigerians to help my daughter; I have no means of raising the money. I want them to help us so that Fatima would not die,” she begged.
BELOW IS THE ACCOUNT DETAILS
FIRST BANK
ACCOUNT NAME: USMAN FATIMAT
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 3074405328
PHONE: 08093190941
N.B: This is the only account details recognized by The Nation. Any other details soliciting money for this initiative should be ignored.
