17-YEAR-OLD BOY SEEKS N2M TO UNDERGO AMPUTATION, GET ARTIFICIAL LIMB

A 17-year-old Daniel Akanni has appealed to Nigerians for financial assistance of N2m to undergo an amputation of his left leg and be fitted with an artificial limb.

Akanni was born with a deformity in his left leg and underwent corrective surgery at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, at 18 months old.

The surgery enabled him to walk, although the affected leg remained shorter than the other, causing him to limp and lean to one side.

Akanni, who hopes to study Petroleum Engineering, said he would be grateful for the opportunity to walk again.

“I am pleading with Nigerians to help me walk again. My parents have expended all they had.

“Please help me. I have faith that the surgery will be successful. All I need is your financial help and God will bless you all as you do so,” he said.

Speaking with PUNCH Online, his mother, Oluwatoyin, said the family had sought various medical treatments over the years to correct his condition.

According to her, doctors initially recommended another surgery, but the family could not afford it.

She said that in 2020, the family enrolled Akanni in the Lagos State Government’s “Hello Lagos” free surgery programme for children with leg deformities.

However, she said the procedure worsened his condition, leaving his leg twisted and making it impossible for him to walk.

“We went back to the doctors and they applied POP but nothing changed. We went back again and they told us they don’t have the instrument to correct it and we were left to our fate,” she said.

The family later returned to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, where doctors reportedly advised that there was no other solution apart from amputating the leg from the knee and fitting him with an artificial limb.

Oluwatoyin said the family was informed that about N2m would be required for the surgery and artificial limb, but they had exhausted their resources.

“We are told to get N2m ready but we can’t afford that. Surgery is N710,000 with the artificial limb, we need N2m according to the doctors. We have nothing. We need help. We want Nigerians to help us so our son can walk again,” she pleaded.

Those willing to support Akanni can make donations to:

Bank: FCMB
Account Number: 9378042011
Account Name: Toyin Felicia Adesoye