Man with blocked heart seeks N0.5m for a pacemaker
BY SOLA OGUNDIPE
Francis Anyama. He has a blocked heart
His heart beats so feebly it’s a miracle he is up and about. When he speaks, his voice is barely audible.
Every breath he takes is with an effort, and every footstep is an even more difficult chore. For sexagenarian Francis Anyama, life is on the edge.
The unemployed father of seven does not look forward to going to bed every night out of the fear that he might not wake up the next dmorning. But even when he beats the odds and wakes up, the morning light gives him little cause for cheer.
His major worry is the manner he is always feeling tired and weak. His inability to walk no more than a few metres without pausing to take a breath, is another sore point.
“In the night when I lie down, it is like I am swimming in the ocean and about to drown. I cannot even sleep, except with sleeping pills prescribed by my doctor. My life is really miserable,” he lamented.
What ails Francis , the causal observer is bound to ask? The answer, in layman’s term, is that the sexagenarian is suffering from a “blocked heart” that has caused his heart beat to slow down excessively and his blood pressure to drop abnormally low.
Francis who clocked 61 at his last birthday cannot even explain how he came about this protracted heart problem that is threatening his life. “When this problembegan in 2009, I just woke up in the middle of the night one day and discovered I could not breath properly. It was like something was pressing down on my heart,” he narrated to Good Health Weekly.
The man who once worked as a welder with Universal Steels, Ikeja before he was laid off, woke his wife and told her what he was experiencing. “She was as alarmed as I was because I had never felt that way before. I got up and went out to the restroom, but by the time I got back, my condition had got worse. I could hardly walk or breathe breathe properly.“
That singular incident marked the beginning of his woes. Then began the endless trips in and out of hospital in search of relief. “I was taken to Chrystal Hospital at Egbeda from where I was referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, where I have been receieving treatment ever since.
According to Dr. Bode Falase, a cardioplastic surgeon at the Critical Care Unit of the LASUTH, Francis has a diagnosis described in medical parlance as “3rd degree heart block” or “complete heart block”.
What this means, the medic explained, is that there is a disconnect between the top and bottom parts of the patient’s heart.
“The impulses that control the heart come from the upper chambers (auricles) and pass through to the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart, but in his own case, there is a block at the junction between the two chambers.
This means the ventricles are beating at a much slower rate. It is the ventricles that pump blood out of the heart to the rest of the body. If the rate is too slow, it causes the blood pressure to drop and there is danger in that.”
Falase said normal heart rate is 60-100, but Francis’ heart rate right now is just 27, so he finds it difficult to do any activity. The real danger here is the possibility of his suffering sudden cardiac death.”
Francis’ only option is to have a double-chamber pacemaker implanted in his heart. “His chances of recovery would be excellent once this pacemaker is installed, however, the challenge is cost. The pacemaker can control the top and bottom chambers just like the heart does normally. It is like giving him a normal heartbeat back.”
Investigations revealed that total cost for Francis procedure is about N510,000. The pacemaker costs N450, 000, while cost of drugs, theatre and other costs amount to another N50,000-N60,000. The pacemaker, on the average would last seven to 10 years before requiring replacement.
But Francis cannot on his own pay for the life-saving pacemaker, yet he needs it urgently. His worsening health status has denied him access to securing employment.
For him, it’s a race against time, and time is running out. Francis is appealing to kind-hearted Nigerians for financial help to raise the N0.5 million to obtain the life-saving pacemaker that would boost his heart. “I’m appealling to all Nigerians to come to my aid. Please help me live.”
•If you are moved to assist Francis, kindly send your donations to Radiology II, Skye B ank Account No. 1770580238, or call 08068384868 for more details.
