I’m donating part of my liver to save him — Daughter

By Sola Ogundipe

Smart Oshoko, a 55-year-old marketing communications specialist and musician,has been diagnosed with Cholestatic jaundice, an end stage liver disease.

Medical doctors say Smart requires an urgent liver transplant to restore his health and wellbeing. The life saving surgery which is to  be carried out in India, including detailed assessment, routine examinations, blood  investigations, donor and patient workup, doctor’s fees, etc., is estimated to cost $35,000 (N12.6 million).

A medical report issued by the G Estate Clinic Consortium  and signed by the Medical Director, Dr Akinyemi Emmanuel S. said Smart presented at the hospital with yellowness of the eyes, loss of appetite, dark coloured urine and gradual weight loss of six months duration.

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Various lab tests, radiological examinations and liver biopsies revealed that he is suffering from chronic liver disease: cholestatic jaundice, with intra and extra hepatic fibrosis of the canaliculi and the main bile ducts.

“The solutions to this terminal stage of the disease, is a liver transplant, which should be urgently carried out as soon as possible. The nature of the surgery is such that it can only be carried out abroad, possibly India,” Akinyemi explained.

According to  Peace,  Smart’s 23-year-old daughter, the  family is currently running from pillar to post to raise money for the transplant.

She recalled that her father, who produced a TV programme Na So I See Am, is also a guitarist  and had played with a number of famous Nigerian artistes, was diagnosed with diabetes about 10 years earlier but had able to manage it with healthy lifestyle.

Narrating their ordeal with the liver cancer diagnosis,  she said it all started in April 2019.

“He started complaining of general feeling of unwellness, feeling hot inside, inability to swallow, and other problems,” peace remarked.

“We thought it was malaria, and took him to a private hospital where he was given drips but he did not get better. It was when tests were run on him it was discovered that his sugar level had gone up and his liver slightely enlarged.”

When he was not responding to  treatment, Smart was referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH.

Peace recalled that her father was attended to at the  diabetes clinic, and  placed on insulin, but the blood sugar was not regulated anymore.

“We then went to the surgical emergency and then asked to focus on the liver which was enlarged. He had a CT scan and also did an ultrasound guided biopsy that confirmed  cholestatic cancer.

“When the verdict was given, it was quite devastating. All this was after five months of investigating the problem.”

Peace said her father has been  referred to Jaypee Hospital in New Delhi,  India, where he will undergo the live donor transplant.

“My father is the most important person to me and I do not want to lose him. I’m a blood match and I’ll be giving a part of my liver to save him,  but we need funds. No amount is too little, every naira counts.”

Peace, her twin sister, Faith, and their mother, MaryJane,  are imploring well-meaning  Nigerians to help. “We hail from Cross River State and we are appealing to the State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, as well as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to please come to our father’s assistance.”

“Since this started, my father has been in great discomfort and cannot function normally of carry on with his profession as he is bedridden. The whole family is affected, even my mother has abandoned her business to take care of him full time.”

 If you are moved to assist Smart Oshoko, kindly send your donation to  MaryJane Oshoko, Zenith Bank 2177287567 or call  08092371743 for further details.

Vanguard