The Anguish of a Widow

Adibe Emenyonu captures the grief of Mrs. Florence Chidibem, a widow, whose son, 11-year-old Wonderful, is suffering from blood cancer and is presently hospitalised

Mrs. Florence Chidibem, 43, is a mother of five children-three girls and two boys. She is also a teacher at a private school in Benin City, Edo State, but life has never been the same for her.

The first shock of her life was when she lost her husband to the cold hands of death. As a widow whose husband passed on in 2009, she had been struggling to take care of her children without the needed assistance from anyone; taking all her troubles with equanimity, believing that one day some day, all her worried will minimise perhaps when the children grow up to fend for themselves and become self reliant.

But nothing of such has happened as one of her son’s was struck by a deadly ailment which had consumed all her finances to the extent that feeding has become difficult for her and the children.

Lamenting her ordeal, the mother of five said tragedy visited them when her second son, Wonderful Chidibem, aged 11, took ill September last year when he complained of stomach pain and was taken to a nearby hospital.

Unfortunately, what the widow thought was going to be cured by taking antibiotics, was not to be as they were refered to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital where the 11 years old wonderful was diagnosed and was discovered to be suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma” which in lay parlance means blood cancer.

“Since then, I have been running from pillar to post looking for help so that my son can get well again to no avail. As it is now, only God can cure him as I have spent all I have including borrowing and help from relatives”, Mrs Chidibem sobbed.

According to the 43 year old widow, “since my son’s ailment started in September 2020, I have spent over N2 million on his treatment without positive result, except with a medical advice that I needed to take the little boy to a hospital in Italy for further treatment.”

Attesting to the fact that she is in dire need of financial support to fund the treatment of her son, the woman, produced a medical report she was given by the authorities of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH).

The letter, titled, “Re-Chidubem Wonderful, M/11 Years”, which was endorsed by Dr. Y.T Israel-Aina, a Paediatric Oncologist and Professor C. Omuemu, Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, MAC, and Director, Clinical Services and Training, both of UBTH, described Wonderful’s ailment as “Hodgkin’s lymphoma”.

The letter reads: “The above named is an 11-year-old boy who is managed for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He presented six weeks ago with complaints of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is blood cancer”.

“The investigations done confirmed that he has the disease. He has been on chemotherapy and has had several blood transfusions and other supportive medications. Currently, he needs to continue chemotherapy and may need other treatment like radiotherapy for cure of his disease.

“The mother has spent a lot of money for his treatment so far. She requires further financial help to support his treatment as chemotherapy drugs are quite expensive and radiotherapy is even more expensive. The mother will like to use this medium to solicit for financial help for her child”, the letter added, and pleaded “kindly accord her the necessary help in raising funds for this child’s treatment”.

Lamenting her predicament, Mrs. Chidibem, who hails from Imo State, said: “I have five children of three girls and two boys. Wonderful is the last born. In September 2020, he complained of stomach ache and I first took him to a hospital that is close to the house and I was asked to take him to UBTH.

“He has been in UBTH since January 2021 and I have spent more than two million Naira. I have sold off everything I have because his father, my husband, died in 2009. He is presently on oxygen at the hospital”.

To make matters worse, she further volunteered that the consultant in charge of Wonderful’s treatment had advised that the boy be taken to a hospital in Italy, “but they did not tell me how much the hospital in Italy will cost. But another parent who had been to the hospital in Italy said she spent N20million. I don’t have that kind of amount as I have sold off all that I have treating him. The consultant at UBTH told me that if I want my child alive, I should take him to Italy. I want my child to live and that is why I am appealing to good spirited Nigerians to come to my aid”.

Mrs. Chidibem nevertheless, confirmed that when the ailment started, Wonderful’s relations from his late father’s lineage could only raise N170, 000, which was not sufficient to buy even the required drugs.

“Three of my brother in-laws gave me money. One gave me N100,000, another gave me N50,000 and the third one gave me N20,000. These were not even enough to buy drugs for one week. Chemo treatment is N350,000 every 14 days. Now, he is in a coma and the doctor said it is because he is not being given the right drugs and I don’t have the money for the right drugs”, she grieved.

In addition, the distraught mother and teacher in a private secondary school, Fluorite High School, Oluku, Benin City, who came to the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Secretariat in tears, reiterated that she had sold off all she had to finance the treatment of her son, Wonderful, the last of the five children of three girls and two boys.