35-Year Old Accident Victim Begs Gov Makinde, Nigerians for N30m Financial Assistance For Surgery To Walk Again

By Adeola Badru

IBADAN-A 35-year old lady, Miss Funmilayo Akinsola, has passionately appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and other well-meaning Nigerians for a N35 million financial assistance in order to undergo Orthopedic, plastic and Podiatry surgeries.

Miss Akinsola, in a bid to avail herself of a job opportunity in Abuja, was rendered dependent as a result of an auto crash that turned her life around while travelling for an interview appointment. The accident occurred on February 5, 2013 at Asejire area in Ibadan along Ibadan-lfe expressway .

 

While narrating her ordeal to Sunday Vanguard, Miss Akinsola who betrayed emotion said, the bus somersaulted and burst into flames which she said, claimed all the lives on board, while she was the only survivor. 

According to her, she was left her with multiple injuries, deep burnes to her backside, right and left feet and also tibio-fibular fractures and a fractured ankle. Added to this was pelvic dislocation and deep laceration and broken glasses inside.

In her words: "l was rescued by men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and rushed to the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan where I underwent several surgeries and treatment for several months. However, my wounds got infected along the line at UCH."

"Desperate efforts were made to save my life, but there was no improvement and it got to a point that I was given the impression that my chances of surviving such a complicated case was very slim indeed. At a point, amputation of my legs and colostomy were suggested but which I went against."

She disclosed that after seven months in the UCH, she requested for referral to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, but could not be admitted due to the doctors' strike then, coupled with the unavailability of a vacant bed in the burns unit of the hospital.

Miss Akinsola shed more light: "I was taken to a couple of private hospitals before I was eventually referred to Ganga Medical Centre, Cainbatore in South India. This was almost a year after the accident and due to the infection I contracted during my stay in the UCH, most of my buttocks were already decaying." 

"Thus, part of my buttocks had to be surgically removed in a very painful and expensive operation. By this time, my loving father had exhausted all retirement benefits on me. We, were therefore, constrained to contact the former Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, through a family friend. It was the former governor that assisted to defray the cost of my 8 months' stay in India."

"After 8 months, I was returned to Nigeria with a referral to the USA for the continuation of my treatment. His Excellecy, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was still on hand to mercifully bankroll my travelling to Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA, where I encountered different surgeons before it was finally concluded that I had to be referred to an expert Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. John Sontich for orthopedic surgeries before I could have plastic and podiatry surgeries."

"All these surgeries cost much and I was later referred again to Metro Health Clinic. It was at the clinic I was assured that I could still walk again but would need to undergo other series of expensive surgeries to fix some rods inside my legs and knees."

She explained that the temporary rods were eventually implanted into her legs at a very huge costs and she was requested to come back to Nigeria to solicit for funds to first clear the pending bills on her medical records in order to continue with her treatment.

"My parents sold all their property to raise money to offset my bills, but despite their best efforts, I still have some pending bills to settle in the USA. My appointment to go back for the removal of those rods have long expired since, without being able to return for the concluding surgeries due to dearth of funds. I have been intimated of the danger of my continued having the rods inside my body, as they are temporary, and they are prone to rusting inside me, which can poison my blood and lead to death," she said.

Miss Akinola, a graduate of the Polytechnic, Ibadan who is a native of Ibadan, Idi-Ayunre, Ibadan South-West Local Government Area of the state, is using the medium to appeal to all well-meaning Nigerians and Governor Seyi Makinde to seek their moral and financial assistance so that her life will not be compromised to death.

In her appeal: "Your Excellency, I am thus forced to you to seek your fatherly and kind assistance so that my life is not compromised due to this unfortunate incident. As at now, I have three (3) pending surgeries, which are two major (Orthopedic and plastic) and one minor (Podiatry). All these are to cost me something in the neighbourhood of N28.5 million and with the bills pending, I will need a total of N30 million to come out of this 'valley of death' which I have unfortunately found myself."

"I would internally appreciate whatever God can use you to do to make me live to contribute my own little quota to the uplift of this country. My account details are: Akinsola Funmilayo Bisola (Miss), 2001878808 (Savings Account), Zenith Bank. My telephone numbers are: 08035963234 and 09060973216," she stated.