By Ola Ajayi, Ibadan

The joy of Ajoke Mukaila 36, knew no bounds when she was delivered of Aishat Mukaila on June 28, 2014. She was full of thanks to God Almighty who saw her through the throes of pregnancy and delivery.

Ajoke’s joy was however short-lived because her five month old baby has been diagonised with a hole in the heart.

Vanguard Metro VM learnt that trouble started shortly after the celebrations that greeted the arrival of the child.

Ajoke suddenly noticed that despite being fed with breast milk, the baby was not growing; she looked emaciated. The hole in Baby Aishat’s heart is said to be eating her up on daily basis hence her mother has cried out to well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of little Aisha.

Ajoke who lost her husband, Rasak Mukaila when the pregnancy was only five months, initially thought Aishat’s ailment was a common sickness like fever or jaundice. But to her greatest astonishment, the ailment was diagnosed as hole in the heart.

Medical solutions

Ajoke told VM that she has tried all known medical solutions but to the avail. Instead of getting better, Little Aishat is becoming weaker and weaker. The mother of four said the management of the University College Hospital, UCH Ibadan did a lot for her and the baby.

The emotion-laden widow said she was given the phone number of Vanguard by an unknown man who accosted her in the hospital when she was crying for assistance to buy the prescribed drugs for the ailing Aishat.

Ajoke explained that after spending about one month in the hospital, been admitted, she found out that she could neither settle the bills nor buy the prescribed drugs because her business had collapsed.

Amidst tears, she narrated her ordeal to VM. The problem, she said, started when her baby started to vomit and stool intermittently. After all efforts to stop the dysentery failed, she headed to the Oyo State Health Management Board, Adeoyo but was referred to the UCH on August 26, 2014.

“I was told she has a hole in the heart. Why has life been so unfair to me? She cried. “I don’t deserve this kind of fate. My husband died when my pregnancy was five months. He complained of malaria and before I knew what was happening, he gave up the ghost. And now, see what has happened to the baby that could have lessened my sorrow,”she lamented.

Continuing, she said: “One man gave me your phone number and said you would help me out. Please sir, help me. I don’t have anybody again I can turn to. Please, don’t let my baby die. I was told that they can do the surgery in China. There is no way I can get there without the help of Nigerians.

Please, help me. I don’t like putting my burden on others but the cost of the surgery is far beyond what I can afford”.

They did not even tell me how much it would cost; they only said my baby could only get help outside the country,” the woman who said she hawks food by the roadside explained.

“Since my baby was discharged from the hospital, she has started growing lean again. I don’t want her to die,” she sobbed.

The life or death of the little baby lies in the hands of well meaning Nigerians. Mrs Ajoke Mulikat can be reached on 08177064945.