Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
She was involved in an auto crash at the age of 12 on the Ore-Benin Road, which made her immobile for a long time. Years later, while taking a walk in the United Kingdom, she lost her balance and couldn’t get on her feet again.
This time around, specialists informed her that she would require a corrective surgery to rectify the damage to one of her knees as a result of the accident she had at age 12. Ten years after the surgery and regaining her mobility, the affected knee totally collapsed and was wheel chair bound for over 24 months, before she could walk again.
The above succinctly captured the trajectory of the 49-year-old Adesola Kogbodoku, who having been trained in the Republic of Ireland, as a rehabilitation facilitator for acquired brain injury and stroke survivors, decided to dedicate her life to giving support and succor to stroke and acquired brain injury sufferers in Abeokuta, her hometown.
Though she established Laricare Rehabilitation Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where supports are provided for the recovering patients of the deadly ailments, Adesola, via her Laricare Trust Foundation, has embarked on on-the-spot test for diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, eyes, Body Mass Index (BMI) and HIV.
The foundation also embarked on sensitisation campaigns to enlighten the public on healthy living to safe them from deadly ailments. The third edition of the intervention programme, held in Lafenwa area of the Ogun state capital, witnessed a large turn out of people who wanted to avail themselves of the free test opportunities.
The young, middle aged and the elderly, who suffer from one ailment or the other, trooped out to partake in the exercise. Experts from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, were on ground to provide immediate assistance or referral where necessary. Fruit smoothies were also made available for the people who came for the test. Health counsellors and professional social workers were on ground to provide tips for people recovering from stroke and other brain injury related ailments.
Adesola said apart from her medical challenges which nearly paralysed her, watching her grand mum, who raised her, to suffer and die of an ailment due to lack of adequate healthcare made her determined to help the needy and less privileged. She added that stroke and acquired brain injuries could have devastating and frustrating impact on the sufferers, hence, the need to provide succour for them:
“I grew up with my grandma and I saw at first hand how she went through a lot in terms of health challenges and nothing could be done to mitigate he suffering till she passed away. This made my heart to bleed and there and then, I made a vow that if God provided me with the means and resources, I would dedicate to giving support and succour to the needy, particularly in the area of healthcare.
“Similarly, the health challenges I faced which made me lose and regain my mobility, reinforced my decision to help people who have suffered from stroke and acquired brain injuries, to live normal lives. In fact, this was the more reason I trained as a rehabilitation facilitator in the Republic of Ireland, in these two important areas.
“Can you imagine somebody who has been working and jumping here and there, to be confined to a wheelchair for over two years? It was depressing and highly devastating! But with care, love and support from family members and friends, I was able to overcome the challenge and started to use my legs again. The support was so much that even on the wheelchair, I still participated in volunteering activities in Ireland such as home work club, writing poems for the society and even in the organisation of African Week. This is why I made up my mind to start a foundation and use my expertise to help getting back on their feet after suffering from one ailment or the other.”
Adesola explained that the medical intervention was to help the common people have access to free test and healthcare: “People who registered with the foundation would undergo free tests for cholesterol, blood sugar, high blood pressure, eyes, HIV, Body Mass Index (BMI) and others capable of triggering stroke.
“What this medical outreach does is just to conduct free test for the people who have registered with our foundation. We carry out tests for the symptoms or ailments that can trigger stroke. Anyone who needs immediate medical intervention will be given drugs and then get referrals to the FMC, Abeokuta, which is our partner.
“Again, the first five persons with stroke or acquired brain injuries, the foundation will foot their medical bill and get free rehabilitation at our centre. Stroke changes life of the sufferers permanently, therefore, they need all the necessary support they could get in order for them to go back to their normal lives. Stroke has nothing to do with age. It could affect anybody irrespective of his or her age.
“Last year when the second edition of this event took place, I met a six-year-old child who suffered stroke. The condition of the child broke my heart. The parents of the child were unable to raise money to get the child treatment and our foundation took up the case.
“As a baby, the child might have fallen and hit the head against the floor and the parents might not suspect any damage to child’s brain. So, stroke is no respecter of age. It could be hereditary or due to one’s lifestyle. And this is the main reason we also embarked on the sensitisation campaigns on healthy living.”
While calling on well-to-do individuals to carry out similar projects to provide succour for stroke patients, Adesola, appealed to the federal and state governments to make funds available for the treatment and post treatment rehabilitation of stroke and acquired brain injuries sufferers, just as it is done in developed countries.