By Henry Akubuiro

Ogbuagu Samuel Sunday hails from Unubi town in Nnewi South Local Government Area of  Anambra State. Life was normal for the trader, who was dealing in building materials, including carpentry tools, furniture pipe and iron rods, until cruel fate visited him, threatening his life, his immediate family of eight and dependants. Now, his life hangs in the balance, with the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, which requires an urgent liver transplant.

The ailment started in 2013 when he travelled to the village for a wedding. By 2014, he rapidly began developing swollen legs, with pain all over the body.

“It used to come intermittently until the situation became intense and unbearable in September 2016,” prompting him to run helter-skelter for solution, he told Daily Sun.

Ever since, he has been to Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, where he met a consultant who referred him to a radiotherapist for X-ray, scan and other tests involving chemical pathology. After that, he went to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, where doctors diagnosed that he had liver cirrhosis. Subsequently, he was directed to Abuja for regular dialysis. 

He started the dialysis thrice a week due to the severity of his case, running into seven months. He also had elpofir injection administered twice weekly to build up his blood. He is also required to take other drugs, including alfacalcido, cellgevity, Nife Card XL, Safelm180, Bendrofuzide 3. These are by no means cheap.

His family members have tried their best to raise funds to keep him alive so far, but there is a limit to what they can do.

“My immediate family has done so much,” he said. “They cry all the time, so I decided to send one of them to my elder sister to reduce the workload.”

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As a result of the ailment, he has not been able to go to his shop since January 2017, and his business has gone down. Since then, his family’s finances have been depleted, and, with so many dependants in his house aside from his biological children, he faces an uphill task taking care of himself.

“I have spent over N7 million so far on this ailment since 2013, yet I need a liver transplant to get a new lease of life.

“If I had known this would be enough for the transplant, I would have gone for it; but, due to the lack of guidance, I have lived on dialysis and other medications,” Ogbuagu told Daily Sun.

Now, the only way he can lead a normal life is to have the recommended liver transplant in India, which will cost $16,000, and accommodation cost for 12 weeks for the recipient at $70 per night and the donor for four weeks. Quantified in naira, over N7 million is required to save Ogbuagu’s life.

“I am appealing to every well-meaning Nigeria to come to my rescue. Every single kobo contributed will go a long way. I am calling on philanthropists and kind-hearted Nigerians to save a soul. I never bargained for what is happening to me, but it could happen to anybody. Your timely donation will make a difference between life and death.

“With so many hungry mouths to feed, I would like to bounce back to life to keep fulfilling my roles as a father and guardian to many people. This won’t be possible if you don’t assist me at this lowest point in my life,” he said.

Ogbuagu Samuel can be reached on 08030676127. His account details in are: Ogbuagu Samuel, UBA account number 2000233583. And First Bank: Ogbuagu Samuel and Maryjane, account number 2008268406.