Somehow, reason seems to have prevailed and sick Baby Michael, whom the mission to treat and rehabilitate was abandoned a few months ago, following disagreement between his family and his rescue team, were raising funds for his treatment, have now agreed to bury the hatchet and continue his treatment. Gboyega Alaka reports.
Baby Michael Alvez, remember him? That’s the baby all hopes of a normal life seemed to have come to a stand still for last May, when actress Kate Henshaw, together with her fellow rescuers, Temitope Oluwagbemi and Aramide Kasumu and the administrating NGO, Project Alert, decided to withdraw their treatment and rehabilitation efforts and return donated funds to all donors.
The rescuers, had happened on very sick Michael soliciting alms in traffic around the Lagos Museum in March 2016, got hold of him, located his mum and offered to help. Michael’s ailment was later diagnosed as Facial Hemangioma at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH and in no time, over N8million was raised towards his treatment, which the doctors at LUTH said would take some time. Treatment commenced in earnest, with Michael spending eight months between March 2016 and February 2017 in the hospital.
Trouble however started, when the family began antagonising everyone involved in the project. According to Project Alert’s Executive Director, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, “The antagonism was not limited to the rescuers and Project Alert, but to the different government agencies responsible for care and protection of children like Michael. Not only did his mother, Mary abandon him in the wards, she was maltreating him… and even beat up another woman in the ward, and threatened to burn down the ward when accosted by the matron.”
The problem climaxed in February this year, when a meeting of all parties, called by the Lagos Social Welfare Department at the secretariat collapsed, with the family vehemently refusing to give up their son to Lagos State government for proper hygienic care. They also signed an affidavit to reject further medical interventions and Baby Michael’s aunt, Syndi Ezeanyeji, got a law firm, Beacon Solicitors, to write to Project Alert about the fund. These were aside personal curses sent SMS to the rescuers.
This angered Henshaw and her co-travellers, who wondered why the family should be more interested in the fund than the baby’s treatment and wellbeing and they promptly called a media conference to announce the commencement of a refund process to the donors. They would rather refund the money to the donors than hand it over to the family.
But luck smiled on the poor baby, when an LTV reporter, Solomon Gbadebo picked up the story and decided to probe further. According to Effah-Chukwuma, Gbadebo, who presented the now rested Sunday Evening Show, took the initiative to interview both parties, going further to play the role of an intermediary and finally resolving the impasse.
“The result of their stepping in is why we are gathered here today. They followed up with the family to write to LUTH, requesting for an official estimate for the various treatments Michael will have to undergo and for what period. While following up with the family, they also followed up with the rescuers, and members of the public, by airing two episodes of the case, and calling on the rescuers and the donors not to please take their money. Their intervention helped.” Effah-Chukwuma said.
To this effect, a cheque deposit of N1, 383,500 has been made by Project Alert towards the continuation of the medical treatment of the child and handed over to Michael’s family, represented by Ezeanyeji. The cheque was in fulfilment of the surgery estimate sent to Ezeanyeji by the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (Ref. No: CS/103/Vol.XVIII) and signed on behalf of its Chief Medical Director by its Head, Corporate Services Division, K. O. Otuneme.
The cheque is for the next stage of treatment and Michael is expected to be in and out of hospital eight times.
Effah-Chukwuma expressed joy on behalf of the rescuers at this positive turn of event and pledged their commitment to the cause.
Syndi on her part apologised for all the past disagreement and commended the role of LTV in helping to resolve the matter.
The man at the centre of the reconciliation, Solomon Gbadebo, said he only played his role as a journalist and because he felt the future and wellbeing of an innocent child should not be sacrificed on the altar of some adults’ ego. He implored the family, the rescuers and Project Alert to ensure they always find a meeting point until the mission to treat and rehabilitate Michael is accomplished. “I am only a staff at LTV and who says I cannot leave the next minute; so I implore Syndi, mama (Michael’s grandmother who was also present) and Project Alert to always find a meeting point in this matter.”
