Abdulrazak Taufik Ogunjimi is a six-month-old baby boy who has been suffering from atrial septal defect since he was born. The disease was discovered soon after he was born, but his father, a low-ranking military soldier, cannot afford the medical treatment.
Although the father, Taufik Ogunjimi, attached to the Rukuba Barracks, Jos, Plateau State, could not be part of the conversation due to the nature of his duty, the mother of the baby, Ummu Kursum Muhammad, said that after a rigorous investigation, three holes were discovered on the wall of her child’s heart at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
The mother explained that, “I gave birth to him on the 24th of March this year. At that time, there wasn’t any sign of the disease as the child appeared healthy within the first month. But weeks later, we began to experience changes in him. We took him to the hospital within the barracks but the illness kept increasing.
“My mother advised us to go to the JUTH, where they discovered that my child’s heart is swelling and three holes were identified on his heart following different examinations.”
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She further said, “I asked if there was any medicine to be given to cure the disease, but they told me that there wasn’t any medicine. That surgery is the only solution to the problem, and which is not done in Nigeria. The doctors said we can be referred to India for the surgery which will cost N7m.”
Asked what they were doing in the interim, the mother said, “Honestly, we don’t have the N7m for the operation. In fact, we don’t even have N1m, and the doctors said if the surgery was not done on time the illness would seriously affect him.
“They said he wouldn’t be growing and would be encountering different forms of complications. They also said the heart would be swelling and breathing would become difficult for him. The doctors said if the boy is not operated within a particular period, there was likelihood that even if he was operated at a later time it would be of no importance. They also said the more he coughed the more the heart swelled.
“Our prayer is that if we can get someone to help, we will be very happy because we don’t have the money for the medical expenses of the boy.
“If we don’t get someone, we will be patient and whatever happens, Allah is fully aware. Anytime he coughs, my heart beats because I know the heart will be affected. We were warned not to allow him to cry, and anytime he cries, I don’t get a rest of mind.”
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