BOY 11 NEEDS N1.2 MILLION FOR CANCER TREATMENT…

Oseni

Doctors at the University College Teaching Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, say 11 year ols Toheeb Oseni, who has cancer of the jaw, urgently requires N800,000 for surgery, chemotherapy and radio-therapy to save his life.

But hospital officials observe that this is merely a conservative estimate and that the amount could be up to about N1.2million when miscellaneous expenses are factored into the boy’s needs.
But there lies the problem. Neither the boy nor his poor parents could raise that money. In fact, the parents had since absconded after dumping him in the hospital where he was admitted in February.

Hospital sources said that the mother only sneaks in occasionally.
Consequently, the care of little Toheeb has fallen on his doctors, nurses and relations of other patients in the Children (Pediatric) South-West Ward 2 of the UCH, who contribute money for his feeding and palliative drugs he is taking against pains and infections, since treatment for the principal ailment, Rhabdomyosarcoma was discontinued.

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The medical consultant handling his case, Dr. Biobele Brown told newsmen that the initial course of treatment for the cancer had generated a dramatic response as the malignant tumor reduced by about 80 per cent. That was in June. He, however, noted that the swelling progressively increased when there was no money to continue the treatment.
The UCH management, it was learnt, has also waived fees for blood tests and other medical investigations run on the boy.

Brown says Toheeb urgently needs surgical operation to take care of a hole the cancer had drilled on a part of the jaw, which makes water or food intake by the boy a Herculean task. The surgery alone costs N250,000, Brown explains, while appealing to good spirited Nigerians to come to Toheeb’s aid.
According to him, the lad is perhaps the oldest patient in terms of long stay in the ward.
He adds: “His needs are very urgent because, it has been long since he’s been here. As you can see, he has greatly emaciated due to the cancer, so we have to ensure that it does not spread to other parts of the body.

“We are hoping that as many Nigerians that are willing would come up to support him. The grand mother, who alone had shown thorough care, is practically exhausted. She has piled up debts of loans here and there to support him so far.”