Temitayo Abayomi Lawal, 24-year-old, who is suffering from neurofibroma, a rare cancer ailment, is in desperate need of over N4million lifeline to carry out a corrective surgery.
The Mechanical Engineering undergraduate of Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) Lagos, who was forced to drop out of school as a result of his ill-health, has done over 25 surgeries already since the illness began over 14 years ago.
The indigene of Okene, Kogi State visited the corporate headquarters of The Nation newspapers last Thursday, in company of his mother, Mrs. Aderonke Lawal, a widow of 22 years, who has beared the pain and anguish of attending to her sick son all by herself with little help from family members and friends.
Temitayo, who did not betray the emotions of someone threatened by a terminal ailment, recalled that his ordeal began in December 2004.
He was returning home from church on the 31st of December, 2004 when he was involved in a motorcycle accident, hurting his thumb in the process. Naturally, he applied first aid when he got home and gradually forgot about it.
However, by mid-2005, a growth started appearing on the lower part of his leg, causing him severe pain and a visit to a private hospital in Agege, where he had the first surgery in 2006.
The joy of that ‘successful’ surgery was however short-lived, as the malignant growth reared its head again in 2007 – barely 10 months after.
This time, it came out on his left knee, causing him to undergo another surgery at Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, in 2010. But much to the chagrin of son and mother, another lump started growing again in 2011 and he was advised to go for surgery again, which he did between August and September 2012.
Again, the growth reared its head in 2013, this time at his groin, leading him to go under the doctors’ knives 18 gruelling times within a spate of three months in Benin Republic.
The last straw that broke the camel’s back was in September 2015. Having had successive surgeries, which rendered his skin weak, part of the body was grafted to enable him undergo medical treatment.
Unfortunately, the grafted part of his body started tearing in 2015, causing him to bleed every day. Again, the growth on his groin resurfaced, with its attendant pain and anguish.
“I was booked for a surgery at LUTH in 2016 but as at that time, there was paucity of fund. In 2017, the pain became unbearable that I had to go to LUTH again.
“The doctors thought I wasn’t serious about my health, as they said abandoning treatment that long was very risky. After carrying out several tests on me, I was booked for surgery since last October but the bill is just unaffordable for my mother.
“Consequently, I have been placed on chemotherapy drugs by Dr. O. Bailey of Plastic and Surgery, LUTH since December last year. The drugs cost N30,000 each and I take it twice a month. So I spend over N60,000 every month,” he lamented.
Notwithstanding the disruption to his life, the young lad, who has had to skip school several times, still managed to sit for his O’ level and JAMB exams, which he passed in flying colours. He gained admission to study Mechanical Engineering, but couldn’t finish.
“Nevertheless,” he says “I still have a dream to study Psychology.”
Temitayo, who claimed that his family has so far expended over N6million on his treatment, lamented that it has been such a drain on the lean resources of his widowed mother, who until a few years back was a teacher in the Ministry of Education before she was retrenched along with others in 2016.
“My sister and some family and friends have been very supportive, but last year the Living Faith Church a.k.a Winners Chapel where we worship, gave us N500,000,” he revealed.
Forcing back tears, the distraught mother, said, “There was a time that he was nursing suicidal thoughts and each time I went out, I had to keep calling him. And if he didn’t pick his calls, I would call on neighbours to help check up on him.”
According to a doctor’s report dated I7th October, 2018, issued on behalf of the Chief Medical Director at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) by K.O. Otuneme, Head, Corporate Services Division, a conservative estimate of the surgery which does not cover radiotheraphy and chemotheraphy, is over N3million and may last for over 48 weeks in the first instance.
Mrs. Lawal, 52, who hails from Lagos, said her two kids are all she has and inability to raise the sum required to offset the hospital bills may spell further doom for the already traumatised Temitayo.
She is therefore appealing to public-spirited Nigerians to come to the aid of the family.
Members of the public can send their kind donations into the account number as follows: LAWAL ABAYOMI TEMITAYO, KEYSTONE Bank, 6024852610. Telephone: 07068992301/08165246556/08122205401
