Succour underway for baby with dual organs, but…

Shocked by the predicament of the young toddler after reading about ‘her’ travails which was reported in last week’s edition of Sunday Trust, the good Samaritan sent a thought provoking  text message indicating his readiness to foot the medical bills of the baby, whose parents named her Hauwa’u, believing that their God’s gift is a […]

Shocked by the predicament of the young toddler after reading about ‘her’ travails which was reported in last week’s edition of Sunday Trust, the good Samaritan sent a thought provoking  text message indicating his readiness to foot the medical bills of the baby, whose parents named her Hauwa’u, believing that their God’s gift is a girl, not a boy.

The donor who does not want his name in print said “I have just finished reading the story in today’s (last week’s) Sunday Trust, about Hauwa’u, the two-year old girl with male and female organs, in Damaturu, Yobe State. I wish to foot the N200,000 bills, if you can send me an account number that I can pay the amount into. Please don’t reveal my identity to the family.” he pleaded.

Alas, the pledge was redeemed, a development which ushered in new hope for ‘Hauwa’u’ and her poor and helpless parents who have been looking for a way out since two years ago.

The news of the arrival of the money was revealed to them by officials of the Green Environmental Support and Development Initiative (GESDI), an NGO which had, before now, sponsored various medical tests on the distraught baby.

In tears of joy, Malam Ibrahim Lawan and his wife A’isha prayed God to fulfil the dreams of the anonymous donor that came to their rescue and prayed for a successful surgery on their daughter.

The N200,000 was thereafter handed over to the officials of the NGO by our correspondent, a development which encouraged the NGO to immediately take Hauwa’u along with her parents to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

However, Hauwa’u’s case took a new twist following another round of investigations led by Dr Auwal Abubakar, the Head of Department of the Paediatric Surgery at the hospital, which revealed that the male reproductive organs of the baby are more conspicuous than that of a female.

Explaining further, Dr Auwal, a paediatric surgeon said other, “intensive blood tests and scannings” need to be conducted before the final operation so as to give the baby “her actual identity,” which according to him, would allow her enjoy a blissful life.

At birth, her parents believed that their baby was a female and therefore named her “Hauwa’u” a common name among female Muslims. “In fact, it was after three months that we began to notice the appearance of male reproductive organ”, the mother who spoke to our reporter at the hospital said.

Both A’isha and Malam Ibrahim were, however, not rattled by the likelihood of their two-year-old “girl” turning into a baby boy after confirmation by further findings.

“We are willing to accept any outcome, our greatest happiness is that our baby would not be seen as ‘mata-maza’ after the operation”, the two parents who have other seven children, including boys and girls, said.

“We are not insisting that she must be a girl, we only gave her female identity because of the physiological features we noticed in her body at birth”, the mother said.

Dr Auwal said there was the need for caution on the side of the hospital as well as the parents. “From what I see, which is subject to verification, the baby is more of a man than a woman because, apart from the penis which is glaring, there are the two testis below her abdomen”, he said.

“If the parents insist that the baby is a girl, the tendency is that as “she” grows to maturity, she may likely have beards without breasts”, he added.

More worrisome, according to him, is that if the surgery is tilted towards making the baby a girl, she may not likely bear children because the female reproductive organs are “weaker”, adding that “if the surgery is tilted towards making the baby a man, the chances are that “he may reproduce because the vital organs are there,”  he added.

As at the time of filing this report, Hauwa’u has been admitted at UMTH awaiting the results of the blood tests and scans conducted on her before the final operation.

Ali U. Rambo, the coordinator of GESDI said his organization would continue to pursue the case of Hauwa’u until her true identity was uncovered. “With the financial support we got, coupled with the fact that doctors at UMTH are interested in her case, we are optimistic that, very soon, the baby and her parents would have  a reason to smile”, he smiled.

Even though her case is seen as an enigma, especially in traditional society, Dr Auwal said hermaphrodite is correctable and that of Hauwa’u would not an exception.