Miss Òpémipó Ogunséyé, an orphan who will be 20 on April 12, thought she would never use her legs again. But a story in this newspaper titled Please, help me to make something out of my life changed all that.
A Belgian and Managing Director, World Telecom Labs, Mr. Leigh Smith, was in Nigeria when the story was published. Smith, who almost had his leg amputated several years ago, read the story and decided to help.
All thanks to Smith, Miss Ogunseye now has her legs backs and also has money in an account to fund her education.
He said: “Whenever I am in Nigeria, I always stayed in the same hotel in Abuja. I liked to swim but the hotel swimming pool was closed off because they were building a new wing on the hotel next door. So, I met with the general manager and explained that I wanted to use the pool to get some exercise. There-and-then, he gave me special permission to use the pool. Everytime I made a booking, the pool would be cleaned and I used it regularly while there.
“This set up worked well for about seven visits before I read about Òpémipó’s story in The Nation. That November, when I arrived the reception, the officials were happy to see me and promptly, they gave me the key to the swimming pool. Unknown to me, the GM had not seen my request that while at the hotel, I would use the swimming pool. So, he did not instruct for the pool to be cleaned.
“The next night, I went for a swim. I was already in the water before I realised that it was not cleaned as before. I accidentally had a very small cut on my knee but didn’t know that bacteria entered through this cut into my lower leg. Within the next three days, my left leg had gotten swollen. Fortunately, on the Friday night I had to fly to Cape Town to attend a telecoms conference. I arrived early Saturday morning and went straight to Christian Barnard Hospital next to my hotel for a check up.
“The doctors immediately explained that the issue with my leg looked serious and that I needed to be checked in. Immediately, they started series of checks and later told me that they found few serious complications as they found Strepicoccous bacteria in my system. Then, they moved me into the intensive care as I had stopped breathing at some point and my kidneys stopped working.
“By the third day, the medical team thought I was going to die and the next option for them was to amputate my left leg. They were still deliberating on the process of cutting off my leg when fortunately, the antibiotics earlier administered started killing off the bacteria by the fourth day. Eventually, I ended up being in the intensive care for eight days and lasted three whole weeks in hospital. That was how I was saved from losing my leg simply because I swam in dirty swimming pool. I think I might have wanted to end my life. So, when I read Òpémipó’s story in your newspaper, it really touched my heart because what happened to her very, very nearly happened to me.
“This episode took me about three months before I began walking short distances. Gradually, it improved but the infection and the treatment affected the lymphatic circulation in my leg. Once monthly, I still get some physiotherapy treatment to massage out the swelling. But I am largely fine and my leg is very much okay.”
Smith, for about two years, ensured that Òpémipó got treated medically at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, Ogun State, where she had her crushed leg replaced with Prosthesis, an artificial cast.
Last week, Smith accompanied by this reporter, Òpémipó’s uncle, Michael, her elder sister, Elizabeth and Miss Ogunseye, was at a Sterling Banks branch on Victoria Island to open an account to fund her education. Smith had made prior arrangements with the bank to open the account.
Explaining why he opened an account for Òpémipó, the benefactor said: “As a first step to helping her, I wanted to set up a bank account so that if and when I want to I can give her some financial support. I will like to support her to be educated and if she wants to go to university, all well. As you reported in the initial story, she was appealing to someone to help her as she said: ‘I still want to make something out of my life’. Yes, she needed to be on her feet. And now that she is back up, I am also prepared to give her some financial assistance to get a good education to actually make something out of her life. By the way, her Uncle Mike has been kindly supporting her and paying her school fees. In fact, his magnanimity towards his late sister’s two daughters should not go unrecognised. All I am doing is just helping Òpémipó to get started with an opportunity to have a better life, not anything to be sensationalised.”
An elated Miss Ogunseye told the reporter: “From the beginning, I felt my world had come to a sudden end. I had dreams I was hoping to pursue. In fact, I was about sitting for my WAEC back then. But that was truncated by the accident and the fact that I was seriously in pains and on hospital admission. In short, I went through a lot for my young age. But I thank God and I really want to appreciate my uncle, Mr. Michael and aunty, his wife, Mr. Leigh, my elder sister, Elizabeth and several others I can’t mention here.
“I am grateful, because they kept me going and that is why I can, and indeed, I am preparing for the upcoming WAEC this year 2017. Ordinarily by now, I should be in about 300 or 400level in the university. But I thank God who allowed the story to be written on me and made Mr. Smith to read and he contacted us.
“After I was discharged from the hospital, Mr. Smith came over to our place and that was it. Since then, he has been an angel that God sent to my life. He has helped out in so many ways that if I counting, I won’t finish anytime soon.
“I want to be a journalist. I want to go around the world. I want to be the voice for people who are going through similar situation I had been through. I want people who have given up to see that there will always be a better tomorrow. They just have to be patient and always believe in God.”
