Pervasive poverty in many rural parts of Ghana as well as non-functioning social support systems in the country is making it difficult for many poor children with serious health conditions to get medical support.
These children often die if philanthropists do not intervene.
One of such victims is Odonkor Abednego, a 14-year-old pupil of Nsuta Dahomey D/A Basic School a village in Fanteakwa South District in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
He was diagnosed with Respiratory Papillomatosis by the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in 2015.
However, treatment of his condition has not been smooth as planned by medical doctors due to the inability of his parents who are peasant farmers at Abodobi a farming community near Akyem Begoro to foot the medical bills.
Doctors at Korle Bu in 2015 however inserted a tracheostomy tube into his airway to aid his breathing.
Abednego experiences hoarseness, chronic coughing, or breathing problems hence a tracheostomy tube has been inserted into his airwaves to aid breathing, however, Abednago requires numerous medical procedures to remove the tumor as it reappears but the parents are unable to afford the cost of this surgery.
Samuel Odonkor, father of the boy explained that “I have six children and one of them is battling sickness, my child wasn’t like this when we gave birth to him until he was two years. In 2014 we realized that he finds it difficult to breathe so we sent him to the hospital at Begoro where we spent about one week later we were transferred to Koforidua central hospital but we were also transferred to
Korle Bu where they perform one surgery on him and inserted this tube to aid his breathing for the meantime but we were told by the doctor that the tumor is in the throat and it will reappear. The doctor said any attempt to remove the whole thing from the throat will affect him till he dies so they will continue to cut it off whenever it builds up in his throat”
So the growth in the throat has been operated on and cut off for the seventh time at Korlebu hospital. We have been going for review every month and when the year ends the build-up in the throat is cut off. I have sold all my properties and all that I have, now I don’t have anything, we are even have a debt to settle at Korle Bu Teaching hospital, so am pleading with everyone hearing my voice to come to our aid”
The condition of Master Odonkor Abednego has disrupted his education.
At age 14, he is currently in class two.
Every break time, he has to walk home for the tube to be cleaned to enable breathing through the trach tube
“Whenever the tube in the throat is choked and becomes dirty he finds it difficult to breathe, anytime that I am not around to remove and clean the dirt in the tube, you will see him lying motionless as if he is about to die because he is unable to breathe.
So anytime he goes to school the teachers allow him to come home during break time to clear and clean the tube for him, if not that it will lead to a lot of problems”. The father narrated
Denis Ayivi, Head teacher of Dahomey D/A Basic School is worried about the condition of the boy which he says makes him miss classes and examinations.
He added his voice to appeal to philanthropists to come to the aide of the boy.
“Every month when we go for a check-up the tube needs to be changed which is very expensive too, and we can’t also afford it because now we are broke, one is Ghc 350. So every month they insert the new one and clean the old one, we need only two, we don’t have to buy too many of them.
We’ve been visiting the hospital though but we can’t afford the amount to change it, so whenever the tube is dirty and choked, I used a syringe to suck and clean the dirt in the tube”.
The family needs G30,000 to complete the medical procedures required to keep the boy alive.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
