By Damiete Braide

Three-year-old Onyemaechi Chinedum is in dire need of N19 million for a liver transplant to be carried out in Yashoda Hospital, India.

Chinedum has been battling with the ailment since he was a few days old. The death of his mother nine days after his birth further aggravated his situation.

Every day appears like a bonus for the child as he battles to stay alive.

While he was less than a month old, Chinedum was taken to the General Hospital, Ikorodu, Lagos, and later referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where he was diagnosed with obstructive jaundice.

He underwent a surgical intervention-cyst extension, cholecystectomy and roux-en-hepaticojejunostomy at six months old.

Before then, he was diagnosed with “infantile cholestasis secondary to a choledochal cyst’’ at Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) when he was just at four months old, followed by an enlarged spleen.

According to a medical report from BUTH and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), jaundice was noticed. A further diagnosis revealed that the infant had liver cirrhosis after the surgery. Following this, LUTH carried out a post-surgery diagnosis and Chinedum was diagnosed with chronic liver disease.

The paediatric consultant gastroenterologist at LUTH, Dr. Adeniyi, noted: “Chinedum is presently on supportive medical therapy,” explaining that he needs Nigerians’ financial support to undergo a liver transplant surgery.

The father of the patient, Mr. Chinedu Onyemaechi, recalled: “Chinedum was born on April 24, 2019. My wife had him through a caesarean section and she was discharged five days later, but died on the ninth day.

“My boy has been surviving through various medical interventions. But his condition is now very critical and the only remedy is the transplant, which costs about $39,000, according to the hospital estimation.

“Please, help my son. I lost my wife already. I don’t want to lose my son too. The suffering of my son is too much at this tender age.”

He, therefore, called on kind-hearted Nigerians to come to his son’s aid by donating generously.

Donations can be sent to FCMB, 8725650011, Onyemaechi Chinedum Zinachimdi. His father can be reached on 08038972784.