Woman seeks N5m help to save baby with hole in heart

The coming of Daniel Ademola Adekoya to the family of Mr and Mrs Adekoya on November 13, 2020 brought joy to the home as the first fruit of their union. Sadly, two months after his birth, the little boy was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), that is, a hole in the heart. VSD, according […]

The coming of Daniel Ademola Adekoya to the family of Mr and Mrs Adekoya on November 13, 2020 brought joy to the home as the first fruit of their union.

Sadly, two months after his birth, the little boy was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), that is, a hole in the heart.

VSD, according to the 5th edition of Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, is a common heart defect that is present at birth (congenital). The hole occurs in the wall (septum) that separates the heart’s lower chambers (ventricles) and allows blood to pass from the left to the right sides of the heart.

Mrs Hannah Ojo Adekoya said: “In January this year, Daniel was very sick and was taken to General Hospital Ikorodu where he was diagnosed with infection and he was given a drip and placed on medication. Thereafter, during a ward round, the doctor who checked him observed a murmur in his chest.

“He was immediately recommended for an X-ray, which he did and then, it was discovered that he had a heart disease. In February, we also did Echocardiography at Afriglobal where he was diagnosed with moderate sized perimembranous VSD L-R. Getting back to the General Hospital, Ikorodu, I was told they cannot handle such conditions and we were referred to LASUTH at Ikeja where we saw a cardiologist who gave us appointments every three months. Last month, the doctor said that the hole cannot be closed except through surgery.”

At Babcock University Teaching Hospital in Ogun State, another round of examination was carried out with the same diagnosis. The estimated bill for VSD closure as provided by the hospital on July 30, 2021 was N5million for surgery, which also covers the cost of four days admission in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and three days admission in stepdown as well as N60,000 required for COVID-19 screening for the patient and one relative.

The hospital Accountant, Abolarin Ayodeji, who signed the bill noted that the cost covers only the stated procedures; noting that there will be an additional charge if the patient stays above the stipulated days in the ICU or stepdown and any other incidental examination that is not part of the stated bill.

“My husband and I are graduates. We got married in 2019. Before I got married, I was working as a teacher in Osun State but because of the marriage, I migrated to Lagos to join my husband who works for Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). I was seeking a job in Lagos when pregnancy set in. During the pregnancy, I bled more than three times, as a result of which, I was placed on bed rest until I was eventually delivered of the baby,” Mrs Adekoya said while appealing for support from spirited Nigerians.

Financial support for the little boy can be paid into Daniel Ademola Adekoya’s UBA Account – 2213288367.