Doris Obinna and Esther Adeleye
Five-year old Temitope Apanisile is fighting a battle of his life. He urgently needs N600,000 for a major bladder surgery.
The young lad and his father, Wale Apanisile, a bricklayer in his early 30s, recently paid a visit to the corporate headquarters of The Sun Publishing Limited in Lagos.
At the moment, the father of two, who resides in Ogun State, is no longer himself because of his son’s predicament. His little boy has been suffering from a bladder-related infection for five years and he goes nowhere without wearing diapers. According to the man, “my son wears seven to eight diapers in a day, and it gives me sleepless nights and has really cost me a lot. The pain he has been subjected to for the past four years is better imagined. As a bricklayer, I only go to work when contracted.”
Apanisile said after his son’s birth, it was discovered that the baby had a problem with his bladder. Following closer diagnosis, it was discovered that the bladder had some abnormality.
“Then, it was detected that the young lad could not pass urine normally and because he was still a baby nothing could be done. And as the days ran into weeks and months, it got worse as it increased in size.
“Then, few months after his birth, a series of test was conducted on him, and it was then discovered that our son had an enlarged bladder and needed to be operated on. He was referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
“From his tender age, my son has been living in pain. Not just ordinary pain but excruciating pain. He cries often, mostly at night, and even neighbours get startled and always wonder what we did to him.
Daily Sun gathered that Temitope had his first operation when he was six months old. The financial hole it created in the pocket of the family is better imagined. According to Apanisile, his wife abandoned him and the baby because she could no longer bear the burden as he was financially incapacitated.
“My wife abandoned my son while he was still on admission. Since we were both shuttling from home to hospital, my daughter was staying with my mother, her grandmother.
“The situation now is such that my son does not drink much water or take liquid in large quantities, especially if we are going on a long-distance journey. He cannot control his bladder whenever he wants to pass urine.”
Daily Sun further gathered that the ailment has denied the little boy things children of his age enjoy, especially education. The first operation was successful. But because of his tender age, the body could not hold it and later on complications arose.
“Since then, it has been from one hospital to another. And, finally, sometime last year, we returned to LUTH. We have done several tests and doctors said his body is strong enough to go for another round of surgery and we were booked for June 25.
“This time though, we were told it is a major surgery and would require about N600,000. The date
of appointment has passed because I could not raise the money. I am appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to come to my aid,” he pleaded.
Anyone willing to assist the little boy may contact Apanisile on 08030688658. Payment could also be made to the GTBank account number 0237910788. Account name is Wale Apanisile.