One mother from Edo State, Isoken Etemini, dey cry out for help because her two-year-old daughter, Mercy Etemini, dey suffer from biliary atresia, a rare liver disease wey dey affect infants.
According to Isoken, her daughter Mercy was born on September 14, 2022, and a few weeks after her birth, she notice say Mercy eyes dey yellowish. She take Mercy to the midwife who advise her to put Mercy under the morning sun and give her glucose mixed with water to clear the jaundice, but things no improve.
As the condition worsen, Mercy start to bleed from her navel, and dem rush her to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, but dem reject dem because the children’s ward was full. Dem then take her to a private hospital where dem stitch up the navel and give her injection, but the bleeding continue till the next day before it stop.
After some weeks without any improvement, dem take Mercy to another private hospital for treatment, but still, no change. When dem go back to UBTH for more tests and scans, the result show say Mercy get biliary atresia. The doctors tell her say it late to do the Kasai operation which suppose be done early in life, and now the only solution be liver transplant outside Nigeria.
Isoken say hospitals dem reach out to tell her say the surgery cost $21,000, excluding flight, accommodation, and other expenses. An international foundation in Germany agree to support the surgery with €10,000, but Mercy still need additional $13,000 for the surgery, accommodation, visa, and flight.
Mercy no dey sleep well, always crying because she also get umbilical hernia, and her mother dey give her analgesic to ease the pain. At one year and five months, Mercy no dey grow well like other babies; she no crawl, stand, or walk, and she get enlarged spleen, higher bilirubin, and itchy skin wey draw blood due to excess scratches.
Isoken beg well-meaning Nigerians to help her save her baby’s life, saying biliary atresia be a rare and deadly liver disease and doctors no know the main cause.
