Faith, Perseverance, Passionate Care: The Inspiring Journey of the Adeosun Family

Through their 12-year journey of loss, faith, and eventual triumph, the Adeosun family’s story speaks to the resilience of hope and the impact of compassionate, professional healthcare given to them at Babies Matter Medical Centre, Lekki. Funmi Ogundare reports

After suffering the heart-wrenching loss of a premature baby 12 years ago, Kunle Adeosun and his wife Tolulope clung to hope and faith that they would someday be blessed with a child again. Being married for 18 years,  their previous experience had taught them the fragility of life, and this time, there was no room for doubt. They had a firm conviction: if this was to happen, God would see them through.

When Tolulope was admitted to Babies Matter Medical Centre, Lekki, during a high-risk pregnancy, Adeosun felt both hope and apprehension. Yet, as the days went by, their confidence grew, not only from their faith, but also due to the hospital staff’s unwavering dedication. 

She was delivered of triplets through a CS at 25 weeks . Unfortunately one of them died leaving the couple with two babies who weighed 650 and 700 gramme at birth. The challenge was on the hospital to keep them  alive by providing adequate neonatal care. Fortunately, the hospital delivered on its promise and assembled  specialists coupled with advanced surgical facilities to give the babies the best medical care that enabled them stay alive and healthy. They now weigh 2.18 and 2.10kg and were healthy enough to go home after three months stay at the hospital.

Adeosun described the medical team’s passion as ‘exceptional’, noting their professionalism and consistent optimism.

 “There was no moment you would come around and see doubts on their faces,” he shared. No matter how late he visited, the staff was always fully engaged, committed to their duties with absolute focus.

He expressed a wish that this level of commitment could be seen across all healthcare systems. From the CEO to the nurses, each member of the hospital team went above and beyond, frequently checking on Tolulope and the babies. Every four hours, they would carefully monitor her vitals and the babies’ progress, a level of attentiveness that gave the Adeosuns much-needed comfort during this uncertain time.

While the cost of care was substantial, Adeosun who is a pastor, felt it was worth every penny, especially with the support of health insurance. 

“There was no question of ‘how much?’ The hospital put patient care first,” he said. In the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), there were constant needs requiring approval, yet the staff never hesitated, they provided care as if it was pre-approved, with a strong belief in the importance of saving lives.

For Tolulope, who had undergone a cesarean section, the journey was both physically and emotionally taxing. For 16 weeks, she would visit the hospital from morning until late in the evening, earning the nickname :matron’ from the staff. “Sometimes, I was advised to rest, but the improvement I saw in my children every time I came kept me going,” she recalled. “Seeing them out of the incubator was a huge milestone.”

Her faith was her constant source of strength, especially during moments of fear and uncertainty. One night, she began feeling intense pain and alerted the medical team. Despite having finished his shift, the specialist returned to the hospital in the middle of the night, showing remarkable dedication. The next morning, they proceeded with surgery, making no compromises on her care.

Speaking with journalists, the Chairman Baby Matter and CEO Outreach Hospital Group, Dr. Efunbo Dosekun highlighted the challenges faced in providing neonatal care, noting that it is underfunded and only receives a fraction of the necessary budget.

She expressed optimism about expanding the medical centre and establishing another centre to support high risk pregnancies adding that so far, it had saved 260,000 children. She also emphasised on strengthening the partnership between the centre and HMO to provide better support for premature and high risk babies.

She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to save lives and the importance of the  work of the health personnel at the facility to not only saving the babies, but also not disabled.

” We are just so grateful that God is using us for a great work. We are actually saving babies who will be able to live a productive life and not to be disabled as this is the problem with intensive care.”

Dosekun described  the field as a specialty that has to be properly stratified, saying that philanthropists, corporate Nigeria and the media have to get involved in supporting public health initiatives for children. 

She emphasised on the cultural pressures on women in Nigeria to have children and the impact on maternal health saying,” here in Nigeria, it is like you got a curse on your head if you cannot have children and they look down on you. We have so many IVF hospitals in Nigeria doing well and having good results.”

She however, expressed concern that a lot of the products from the IVFs are coming pre-term saying that the job of ensuring a healthy baby cannot be left in the hands of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology doctors alone.

The CEO commended the role of nurses in the neonatal care process, noting their commitment and the importance of their work.

She stressed the need for community awareness about the importance of seeking medical help during pregnancy, adding that there is advanced surgical facilities at the centre which allow for immediate treatment of premature babies.

Dr. Zainab Mudashiru, Clinical Lead for Baby Matter, recalled how she had to relocate from the UK last year, to establish the hospital.

” I was very fortunate to find someone with a passion that I have . When the babies were born, God just used us as a tool.”

She commended Dosekun for her dedication and the challenges she faced during the first two weeks after the babies were born, as well as the support from the nurses and parents.

She emphasised on the challenges of premature birth in Nigeria and the success stories of babies who have been saved.