The family of Atuma Friday, a 20-year-old apprentice tailor of Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has cried out over his health condition.
They lamented that Atuma, who is suffering from jaw tumour, had been confined indoors since last year due to her deteriorating condition as they could not raise N500,000 required for a surgery.
Atuma’s elder brother, Basil Friday, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH on behalf of the family, explained that the ailment started as a toothache in 2015 when she was in Junior Secondary School 2.
He stated that after a while, a tumour started growing in her mouth region and she was taken to the University Teaching Hospital, Uyo, where she underwent a surgery in 2016.
Basil said they took her back to the hospital early last year when the tumour started growing again, adding that they were told she needed to undergo another surgery that would cost N500,000.
He said the family had been pushed from pillar to post, trying to raise the money.
He stated, “We are poor farmers and our father is dead. She could not continue with her education and was indoors for one year before we were able to raise N650,000 for the first operation.
“She is currently an apprentice tailor and her situation is bad now. We need N500,000 for the second surgery but we don’t have any means to raise it. We are appealing to Nigerians to come to our aid.”
A medical report by a consultant radiologist, Dr O. Akani, indicates that Atuma has “a large pedunculated soft tissue mass involving the nasal cavities and the maxilla with destruction of the anterior wall of nasal bones”.
It added, “There is hyperostosis and deformity of the maxilla with displacement of the teeth. There are multiple calcifications of the frontal ethmoidal, sphenoid and maxillary sinuses.”
Account details: Polaris Bank, Uche Friday, 1041044661

By Afeez Hanofi