People advised me to let my child die ­­ - Father of 9-month-old baby with heart infection

This is one of the most difficult periods for Mr. and Mrs. Opeyemi Okunade, a couple who live in Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State. Since their marriage a few years ago, things had gone on smoothly with three lovely children coming into the family – the latest, Darasimi, born in December, 2013. While the arrival of the latest baby in the family brought a new dose of excitement into the home, the infant’s failing health in the weeks that followed soon punctured that happiness...

In April 2014, Opeyemi, a generator mechanic, noticed that his little boy was coughing persistently and soon passed out. He was rushed to the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital where he was revived with the aid of oxygen. Further examinations and tests revealed that the child was suffering from a heart disease known as cyanotic congenital, a defect simply called Truncus Arteriousus Type1 which according to doctors, would need a more advanced clinical attention.Since May this year when the diagnosis was made, life has not remained the same for the father of three and his entire household. They have spent everything they had to keep the child alive. Sadly, Darasimi’s health continues to degenerate by the hour. He is a thin line away from breathing his last except help comes urgently.“When it started, the child would cry and my wife would try to console him by backing him and walking around time and again, but now he cries non-stop because of difficulty in breathing,” Okunade explained to our correspondent in Akure, Ondo State on Thursday.

“My wife cannot go to work anymore, and whatever I am able to make in whatever I do, I spend on the upkeep of the child. Right now, I have spent all that I have; I need help so that the child will not die.”

 

In the process of seeking help from friends and acquaintances to save Darasimi’s life, the mechanic has most times got more than what he bargained for – counsels have come in different forms, some, enough to discourage him.“Some have advised me to simply leave the child in the room and allow him to die. But I refused. I will never do such a thing because the child is a human being and God gave him to me. I will and must do everything within my power to keep him alive,” he said with tears gathering in his eyes.Having now been referred to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Mrs. Okunade, a civil servant in Ekiti State, has since made the place her home, praying and hoping that help locates them as soon as possible. Darasimi needs a constant supply of oxygen to stay alive. He needs daily oxygen of N3, 000 plus other related expenses – a burden the family cannot afford to shoulder at the moment.More disturbing is the fact that the child’s case can only be rectified abroad, requiring thousands of dollars far beyond the reach of his parents. Lamenting the child’s condition, his mother said doctors had warned that he would die if nothing was done urgently.“Since the diagnosis was made by the doctors, my baby has not been enjoying good health. His condition is getting worse by the day. He has been losing weight and has lapsed into unconscious state and the breathing pattern has been getting worse on a daily basis,” she explained.

 

She also said information from a specialist hospital in New Delhi, India, revealed that it would require a total of N3.4m to conduct a heart surgery for the ailing child.“This is really too much for us, we cannot carry this alone,” she said, sobbing.Although the medical centre in New Delhi, Max Super Specialty Hospital, has offered to help in facilitating visas for Darasimi and the family, everything still appears uncertain at the moment. The Okunades are hinging their trust on a miracle and the support of good-spirited Nigerians whom they hope would be moved by the child’s plight.“We need help from Nigerians. We want to appeal to Nigerians to help us save Darasimi’s life. It is a very difficult period for the entire family but we are trusting that God would touch the minds of good Nigerians to come to our aid,” the father of the house said passionately. Darasimi’s parents could be reached on 08065136262 and 08033653464.