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Born into a once happy home, Roselyn Etsemobor, 34-year-old lost her father as an infant. However she got every care her widowed mother could give her. As a child, she grew up having great dreams of good education, good job and a blissful marital life. But a debilitating eye cancer that struck her at age 24 has rendered the once loved and admired young lady an object of scorn. Roselyn’s hope to live well has not only collapsed like a pack of cards, she is now despised by friends and rejected by those who should help her.
Her mother, the only source of succour, has exhausted her resources and is now helplessly sick, owing to Roselyn’s deteriorating eye cancer.
Every other day, Roselyn’s sight inches closer to blindness. Except something is done, she would continue to languish.
How did it all begin? Roslyn, who lives at 22, Amuda Jacoba Cre s c e n t , Agbara, Lagos, said; “It started as I was having constant catarrh which refused to go. I went to Jos Teaching Hospital. At that time, I was living in Jos. At the hospital, several tests were conducted, but they told me that nothing was wrong with me. Nevertheless, they gave me Amoxil and some other drugs.” That was in 2001.
In 2004, she relocated to Lagos as a result of the crisis in Jos, as her shop was set ablaze during the crisis. In 2005, she noticed that the catarrh just stopped and thought everything was okay.
“But in 2006, I woke up one day and noticed that the upper side of my right eye was swollen. After some days, I went to Ikorodu General Hospital where it was discovered that my left eye was impaired.”
Roselyn was then referred to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for further tests. At LASUTH, doctors recommended that some tests be conducted on her. But she explained that she could not undergo those tests owing to paucity of fund.
“While I was moving from one place to another trying to raise the money, I was knocked down by a vehicle and in the process, I hit the same spot that was already swollen on the ground; this aggravated the situation. The scan I was to do at LASUTH was to cost N78, 000 and I was to undergo surgery,” she said.
Somehow, she was told that the ailment would be cured if she could be put on a regime of drugs. When the treatment was carried out, the swollen eye subsided.
“I thought I was okay but it later came back. I went to different doctors and they said there was nothing wrong with the eye,” she lamented.
At that point, she did another scan and it was discovered that the ‘catarrh’ that receded was pushing her eyeball out. Roselyn was booked for a surgery at LASUTH. “But the doctor that was supposed to do the surgery said he was scared to do it; he reluctantly agreed he was going to do it,” Roselyn further revealed.
She added that she was given a date for the surgery, which was November 2009, but on the day of the surgery, the doctor was not in the hospital.” They said he was on leave. The other doctors at the hospital volunteered to do it, but I noticed that they were only using me for experiment. I felt bad. All these while, they didn’t give me ordinary p a r a c e t a m o l tablets.”
Eventually, Roselyn got in touch with some Ophthalmologists at the Hamilton Eye Institute, Tennessee, United States. The experts, she explained, said they could correct the left eye which is impaired and also do surgery on the right eye, which is cancerous. At the moment, the cancer on the right eye has become malignant. According the medics, both treatment and the surgery are going to cost $100,000 (about N16million) and that it would be done in America.
But what efforts have her family members made to assist her? She replied, “I lost my father when I was a baby, according to what my mother told me. Because of my situation, my mother is now sick. I am the first daughter of my family. We have exhausted all the money we have.”
So far, some sympathizers have contributed N4million, according to Lady of Africa Foundation, a charity body floated by Ms. Bukola Fasuyi, which has taken up her case. Fasuyi is thus appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to come to Roselyn’s aid.
Nat.mirror
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Definitely, sure you know whom to contact if you wish to assist Roselyn raise the money she needs for this surgery.
You can contact: Lady of Africa Foundation or the publishing company that wrote this report. Company and Address: National Mirror, Mirror House, 155/161, Broad Street, Lagos Telephone: 0702 710 7407, ABUJA OFFICE: NICON Insurance House, Second Floor, District Area, Abuja.,Telephone: 0807 042 8249.
