By Job Osazuwa
A 25-year-old pharmacist, Chidera Tochukwu Amadi, has been struck with end stage renal disease. Since the illness started, witnessing the next minute has been like a bonus for him.
As he struggles to remain alive, the once bubbling Chidera, who hails from Aku in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, has become a shadow of his former self. His promising future appears more bleak by the day.
His parents, who reside in Enugu, lamented that they have spent every kobo to keep their son alive to this moment. They also thanked their family members and Chidera’s friends for their financial and moral support so far.
The Amadis are more pained over the fact that their son, who studied Pharmacy at Enugu State University, graduated in July 2021 and was inducted into the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria the same year, but fell ill just a few days later. While his contemporaries are already working and earning salary, their own son is being moved from one hospital to another.
He was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure at Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu. In December the same year, his case was transferred to University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu.
A medical report dated March 16, signed by a consultant transplant nephrologist of St. Nicholas Hospital, E.L. Bamgboye, disclosed that the patient has been counselled on long-term management options and advised that he requires a renal transplant, which provides the best quality of life survival benefits and significant cost of management advantage over any other modality in managing the disease. He was said to be hypertensive.
“He will, however, need a suitable donor not younger than 21 years and not older than 65 years with blood group compatibility.
“Following the transplant, the recipient would need to remain on regular immune suppressive to prevent rejection of the graft.
“The renal transplant can be arranged as soon as a suitable donor is identified and preliminary investigations concluded,” the report read in part.
Narrating the family’s ordeal to Daily Sun, the patient’s cousin, Mr. Ike Ozoh, said they moved Chidera to Lagos for a more comprehensive medical care.
“UNTH tried its best but, on January 20, we transferred him to St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, where he currently receives thrice-weekly dialysis, awaiting the transplant. Each session of the dialysis costs N65,000, which is not sustainable.
“He has got a volunteer donor from the family but the finance is not yet forthcoming for the foreign medical trip we chose for his treatment. The money needed for the treatment and travel expenses is $95,000. We are sourcing fund from everywhere and we are using this medium to plead with kind-hearted Nigerians to come to Chidera’s aid,” he said.
Financial assistance could be sent to the patient through account name Chidera Amadi Tochukwu, with the account number, 0693370275, Access Bank. His father, Frank Amadi, can be contacted on his mobile telephone number, 08037414039.