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A non-governmental organisation, Beulah Sickle Cell Foundation, Abuja has called on well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of one of the patients under its care.
Japheth Maichibi, 30, has been in the care of the organisation for over a year on intensive treatment. With a worsening health condition, the needed support is now beyond what the organisation can handle.
Founder of the organisation, Pastor (Mrs.) Josephine Olunaike told National Wire that Japheth has been under the support of the organisation for the past one year.
“We have been managing him for about a year and God has been good to us,” she said.
Stating further, she said, “The real need on ground now is that he had a problem with his hip. He had undergone a surgery and a metal was planted in his hip to enable him walk again but the surgery had expired which means he needs a replacement.”
Founder of the organisation, Mrs. Olunaike continued that, “Japheth has been in pains and sometimes he prays for death to come but we believe God still needs him here and that is why his life is spared up till today.
According to her, a surgery in a foreign hospital would cost N20m which the organization cannot raise. The outfit has therefore sought a local alternative which is more realistic.
“We found that a surgery in Europe would cost us a sum of N20m outside the country which we cannot raise looking at the urgency of the need. We therefore decided to look inward. We found that a hospital in Abuja could carry out the surgery with N4m.
“So far I spend about N25,000 monthly and it is getting worse. A doctor told us the surgery would be worse if he is not stabilised,” she explained.
Beulah presently administers support for over 50 sickle cell patients which are in different stages of need. “Presently I have about 50 sickle cell patients with me which I provide support for. I am doing this out of passion and for the fact that God has been faithful to me,” she confessed.
“I am also living with sickle cell. God has seen me through to this level. I am 47. I have three children which I had normally. Two of my children are already in the university, so my being alive is a miracle and that is why I have to show gratitude to God by providing support for other patients.
“I had been on wheel chair before but God brought me out. It is difficult for me to source for money, so I solicit for drugs for the patients instead,” she said.
“Now Japheth doesn’t have the privilege of wearing trousers or pants, I found that even for someone to wear pant is a privilege, he ties wrapper now,” she worried.
On efforts of the organization to solicit for support for the young man, Josephine said several media organisations in Abuja have been contacted in the past. “We have been to Wazobia FM, he had also been to some newspaper houses. He said he is convinced there is a bad luck following him but I told him at the right time God will make a way.”
Efforts of his parents too have not yielded much result before their contact with Beulah. According to Olunaike, “Japheth’s father is a retired principal and his mother is also a retired teacher as well. There is little they could do because they even have three sickle cell patients in their family. My own mother had four so I know what they are passing through.”
I was prevailed upon to start operating corporately as an NGO. So we registered it in 2015. I still didn’t come out; I didn’t even open a bank account. I have been doing one on one because I didn’t see reason to start taking pictures of the people under my care and posting on Facebook like I have been seeing. But people said that is what people want to see as evidence.
“I told them those who helped me in my crisis period didn’t upload my pictures on social media. What I have been doing is to tell companies to give me drugs instead of physical cash. I have few trusted people who trust me enough to give me money for the patients.
“Collecting money is not my method. That was why I had to open the account so that it could be transparent to people. If I die today I am happy, I am fulfilled, God has been faithful to me,” she explained.
According to her, her major prayer is for Japheth to survive. “What I just want now is for Japheth to live. The pain is too much and even if he won’t walk for now, let the pain just go. We administer pain killer drugs just for him to be able to carry on.
“I am soliciting for help from Nigerians. Of all the over 50 patients we provide support for, Japheth’s case is the most critical for now and we are begging Nigerians to help us,” she pleads.
Japheth was diagnosed with Avascular necrosis of the hip in 2014 and was on wheel chair all through 2015 till June 2016 when he had the hip replacement surgery. Before the surgery, he had had an ankylosed knee due to muscle contraction.
Battling a dislodged hip, fused knee, ankle ulcer and stiff ankle on same left leg, the hip replacement surgery failed two weeks after the surgery.
According to medical examinations, the surgery site is infected and in April 2019 the transplant started pulling out, now the pain is unimaginable. Japheth is however in need of N4m for a corrective surgery so he could live.
To assist Japheth, please credit
Beulah Sickle Cell Foundation
0109206021
Union Bank
Thank you and God bless.
