A seven –year-old child, Irene Edwards, requires the support of well-meaning Nigerians to put her life together again, being faced with a challenging health condition – kidney disease. WINIFRED OGBEBO reports.
Seven-year-old Irene Edwards is fighting the greatest battle of her life. Her story is one that would evoke sympathy from everyone, even the most hard-hearted of men.
At her age, she ought to be in school like her mates, sheltered from the cares of this world and insulated against pain. But this is not so for little Irene, who is facing a challenging health condition – kidney failure.
But despite the condition, Irene still displays the shy but bubbly attitude associated with children her age. When members of the Rotary Club, Metro District, Abuja, led by the immediate past president, Mr Seyi Lufadeju visited her at the National Hospital, Abuja, she did not betray any form of sorrow.
Her story was related to the Rotarians and it was enough for them to raise money to help finance her treatment. According to Lufadeju, the club was only doing the right thing by assisting Irene to pay for her treatment. “We felt it was a pathetic situation for a young girl to be going through this kind of trauma. So we took it upon ourselves to help and we decided to make her case one of our projects. The first phase of our contribution is what we have donated today and we intend to come back here with a second donation. Kidney patients need to undergo dialysis three times a week. Though it is the ideal, it is a tall order for most, because of the cost implication. For instance, at the National Hospital Abuja, a session of dialysis costs from N15,000 to N20,000.”
This explains why Lufadeju also called on the general public to assist the needy, noting that government cannot do it alone. “The important thing is for us to see to the needs of the less-privileged, women and children. Unless, private organisations like ours join hands with government, it will remain difficult for Nigerians to access healthcare,” he said.
Lufadeju further disclosed that the Abuja metro district would soon receive 14 dialysis machines, which would be distributed to hospitals across the country. The only hiccup, he said, with the club’s highly commendable plan is its battle to convince government on a tax rebate for the machines, which are to be given to public hospitals for free. “A lot of our people travel overseas for treatment for kidney failure. We want to ensure that the number of those travelling abroad reduces. We are waiting for a government waiver, because these machines are expensive. We cannot afford to pay the full duties on them. We have explained to government that the machines are a donation from our sister organisation, the Rotary Club Ohio, America.”
Irene’s doctor, Mrs. Seyi Oniyongi, was particularly pleased with the donation made towards treatment for the recovery of her patient. She disclosed that the little girl would need a minimum of five million naira for a kidney transplant, if done locally and no less than eight million naira if she is to travel overseas.
According to statistics, only 50 kidney transplants have been carried out in Nigeria. Transplantation becomes necessary when patients suffer kidney failure.
The medical doctor explained that kidney failure results from damage to both kidneys, giving rise to accumulation of waste and fluids in the body. The damage can be sudden (as in acute failure) and with adequate treatment, this is often reversible. The damage may also be insidious (as in chronic failure), leading to permanent, progressive and irreversible insult to the kidney, referred to as End Stage Kidney Failure.
She said there are various reasons why patients suffer kidney failure. “Kidney failure may show no symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage. However, some identified causes include Hypertension, Diabetes, Glomerulonephrities, HIV/AIDS, Chronic Pyelonephrites, Analgesic Nephropathy, bleaching creams and soaps containing heavy metals (mercury), certain diseases like Polycystic kidney diseases, Sickle cell diseases, Obstructive Uropathy e.g. stones, prostrate and cancers, Connective tissue disorder and drug nephropathy.”
Oniyongi, a paediatrician nephrologist, explained that the causes of kidney failure differ among children. She noted that parents need to take simple steps to prevent their wards from coming down with chronic kidney disease. She also advised that children complete the immunisation schedule in order to safeguard them against diseases which when left untreated can damage their kidneys. She said, “Preventing kidney diseases is the better option, because the cost of treating sick children is high. The cost of kidney disease on the person with the disease, the family and the society is quite immense. In children, infection is the leading cause of kidney diseases. When a child has a mild infection and it is not properly taken care of, it affects the kidneys and it leads to acute or chronic kidney failure. Other causes of kidney failure among children can be traced to the drugs we give them. We should learn not to just to go and buy drugs over the counter for our children. It is the same with traditional medicine; we should mind the kind of native mixtures our children consume. Apart from these, ailments such as malaria could lead to the damage of kidneys among children. We should immediately seek treatment of our children when they have any kind of fever, especially malaria. If we can do these very simple things, we can prevent kidney failure among children.”
On the surge in the number of cases of children suffering kidney failure, she called on parents to pay attention to the health of their wards. “The prevalence is on the rise because of the increasing level of awareness. Again doctors are screening children for kidney diseases more often. Children do have hypertension and diabetes, but it is much more common among adults. That is why we are more concerned about preventing the simple things that cause kidney disease among children. Simple things like treating malaria on time, treating infections on time and mothers should teach the girl child how to wash from the front to the back. It prevents bacteria from the back from getting into the urinary tract and sending it up to the bladder and kidneys to cause damage. We should also ensure that we ask the doctors for a test of our urine, it will show if there is kidney disease early enough.”
Head of the Dialysis and Nephrology at the National Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Emmanuel Anteyi, speaking on Irene’s case, said the intervention by the club was timely.
He charged wealthy Nigerians to assist Irene in getting a transplant as soon as possible. “It is great that the Rotary Club made this donation, because we have many patients in her category. The funds they need are not only for dialysis, they are suitable for transplant. So we need money so they can get it done. The treatment options for the stage of the patients in this ward are dialysis and transplantation. Most of the people who come to us do not have the wherewithal to finance their treatment. So I call on philanthropists and kind-hearted individuals to emulate the gesture by the Rotary Club so that together, we can help in getting patients treated and back on their feet.”