Appeal for Two-Year-Old Baby with Hole in the Heart

Master Chudubem Godswill Tom

When Mrs. Ngozi Tom, visited the THISDAY Corporate Headquarters in Lagos, she was a picture of calm and serenity until she regaled the reporter with her tales of woe. According to her, the birth of her second child, Tom Godswill Chidubem, was a happy moment for the family until his medical condition was diagnosed.

According to the medical report from the Paediatric Cardiology Unit of the Lagos University Teaching hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Godswill was diagnosed with symptomatic congenital heart disease which was confirmed by echocardiography to be a supra mitral membrane with mild mitral stenosis. Simply put in lay man’s term, he was born with a hole in the heart.

The report went on to say that the young lad requires further cardiovascular evaluation and an open heart surgery to correct his heart abnormality in order to forestall irreversible and life-threatening complications from developing. The report read in part: “We have enjoyed excellent surgical outcome for our patients treated at MIOT Hopsital, Chennai, India and we are referring Tom to the same hospital.”

According to the mother of two, she was working at the defunct Texaco Fuel station now MRS before she had her baby in December 7, 2010. Three days after his birth, she said someone that came to help bathe him and discovered that he had jaundice. That was where there woes began.

The baby was taken to Airforce Hospital and when the x-ray came out, the doctor said he heard some murmurs in his heart, so they had to do another x-ray and when the result came out, they were told he has a heart condition. She added that they were referred to Ikeja General Hospital where it was also confirmed but were told to take him to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) because they did not have space.

The Abia State indigene said since the discovery, they have been appealing to public spirited individuals for help. Last year, she said they wrote to their state Governor, Theodore Orji for help and at first, someone called on his behalf and they were communicating via the phone but all of a sudden everything stopped.

She said: “We do not know what broke the line of communication but they had asked us for a breakdown of the expenses which we gladly provided. On a second thought, we decided to travel home to our state so that communication will be easier. But we spent three weeks there and nobody from the government house saw us.

“When we called our intermediary, he kept telling us that we will see the governor but for three weeks, it was the same excuse and we came back to Lagos without seeing him or receiving the promised financial assistance.

“My son has been on drugs since then but then again, the drugs Catopril and Lasix does not cure the heart ailment rather to prevent heart failure. That is why we are appealing for the three million naira needed for an open heart surgery in India. I am begging Nigerians to please come to my aid so that I will not lose my baby to this heart condition. I am also appealing to our state governor to fulfill his promise to help us.”

For public spirited individuals who will like to help the boy, an account was opened in his name; Tom Godswill Chidubem, Diamond Bank; 0023922906.

Pls Kindly help this baby; may  GOD reward u all..........