HELP: MAN, 52, NEEDS N1MILLION TO DO OSTEOARTHRITIS SURGERY OR HIS LEGS “LL BE AMPUTATED
HELP: MAN, 52, NEEDS N1MILLION TO DO OSTEOARTHRITIS SURGERY OR HIS LEGS “LL BE AMPUTATED
In 1995, Mr. Godwin Audu Bawa was posted from Kaduna town to Zaria area sales office of Daily Times Newspapers, and as a young man he was full of life, doing his job with a pride of a hardworking sales man.
But that vibrant energy of a sales man has been sapped out of the once hardworking and bubbling former staff of the newspaper organisation because of untimely strange ailment that hit him down since 2010.
Bawa, 52, told newsmen in an interview that the long journey to his pitiable state of health began in 1995 when he had a dislocation around his knee cap of the right leg following a minor domestic accident.
He said he had to consult a traditional bone-setter to have his knee cap set back to the normal position, adding that the traditional medical application to the dislocated joint was successful.
However, he said real trouble started fifteen years later, precisely in 2010, when he started feeling unusual pains on the other knee which was not actually affected by the accident.
This was in addition to falling victims of fraudsters who duped him of thousands of Naira in 1999 while operating his personal business as newspapers distributors in Zaria as Baudu Newspapers Agency, after retirement from Daily Times.
He said he went to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria where doctors diagnosed him of Osteoarthritis, and told him that his kneecaps have been eaten up.
He said the doctors gave two alternatives as to finding solution to the damaging knee caps, either to do transplant which would cost him N1million or outright amputation of the two legs.
Mr. Bawa who is married with six children further told newsmen that upon hearing the amount of money needed to carry out surgery on his knee caps, in addition to thoughts of how to raise the children’s school fees, he almost collapsed.
The once huge looking man, who is now looking pale and dejected, is appealing to well meaning Nigerians to come to his financial assistance to enable him undergo the surgery, and save him the agony and stigma of having his legs amputated.
In his words, “My name is Godwin Audu Bawa, I am popularly known as Baudu based on my former business name. Sometimes in 1995 while I was in the employment of Daily Times newspapers, I had an accident, I fell down, and there was a dislocation around my kneecap.
“I now went to a traditional bone-setter, who did the setting, but later I went to the hospital and minor operation was carried out on the knee. And since then I did not feel the pain.
“But in 2010 I started feeling pain on the other leg; I started using pain killer because of the severe pains, especially during the harmattan season. I hardly sleep.
“I went back to the ABUTH where I was diagnosed of osteoarthritis, and the doctors told me that my knee caps are damaged; it is either they do transplant for me or they amputate the legs, and they said the transplant will cost me almost N1million which I need to raise before or by July 2015.
“I am therefore appealing to well meaning and spirited Nigerians, the Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Muslim and Christian clerics, politicians and anybody that God touches his or her heart to help me raise this money.
“Since 419 syndicates duped me of my business money few years ago, things have really gone bad for me; it is only my close friends that are feeding me now. I am just dying gradually.
“I cannot sleep these days because of the huge amount of money involved in carrying out this surgery, in addition to the thinking of how to cater for my children and their school fees.
“Whoever wants to help me can contact me through my telephone number…08167427652 and my residential address at number 20d, Aminu Road, Sabon Gari, Zaria, or Diamond Account number 0020205231 bearing Account Name-Usman Abdul, and also, if any Good Samaritan can reach me through the editor of this medium, I will gladly and gratefully appreciate it too”.
