Fatimoh Bolanle Muritala, a 31-year-old food vendor from Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, has urged well-meaning Nigerians to come to her aid.
For the past six years, she has been battling with a serious leg ulcer. Chronic ulceration of the lower legs is a relatively common condition amongst adults, one that causes pain and social distress.
Treatment for her condition, according to her doctors, will cost up to N10 million.
The pain, according to Muritala, is round the clock. She said it sometimes lasts for weeks or even months, depending on its response to the administered drugs.
Muritala called on the government of her native Kwara State, the leadership of her local government, Nigerians as well as churches and philanthropic organisations to come to her aid. Adamo Muritala, Fatimoh’s mother told The Nation that her daughter had an accident when she was on a motorcycle going home in 2015 and was rushed to Ota general hospital and they treated her for some time and doctors later stopped the treatment when she couldn’t pay for Fatimoh’s bill. She also explained that she had gone through hell trying to save her daughter’s life since the accident occurred.
“A consultant at Ota general hospital, Onipanu, Ota, Ogun State who doesn’t want his name in print, confirmed the chronic leg ulcer and recommended that a surgery should be carried out to solve the problem. We therefore made an inquiry on how to go about it, and they told us that it could be done successfully with the sum of about N10 million,” she said.
Muritala said the weekly drugs have rendered her family bankrupt. She appealed to government, corporate bodies, non- government organisations, religious groups and individuals to assist her raise the money for a successful surgery in Abeokuta General Hospital.
As a successful businesswoman, the widow explained that she never depended on anybody to cater for her family since her husband’s death in 2013. But now, the ailment has reduced her to a pauper, living on people’s financial assistance. She told The Nation that, in the last six years of the Fatimoh ordeal, she never bothered anybody. She noted, however, that, at this time, she is really in need of help. She is begging Nigerians to come to her aid since the ailment had grown bigger than what she and her children could handle alone.
“Everybody, except God, has abandoned me. My brothers, sisters, friends, and in-laws have all abandoned me. They said my daughter will die. I am only living by the grace of God. Please, come and save me,” she pleaded.
A family friend, Mr Funmilayo Oluwaseun David, publisher of Bold Oracle Media Foundation, also said it has not been easy for the family. He called on philanthropists and good spirited Nigerians to come to Fatimoh’s aid.
He said those willing to help her financially should send such donations to the Zenith bank account of Fatimoh. The account number is 2392086617. She can be reached on 08039644799 and 09075327148.
