A 43-year-old man, Idris Abiodun Bakare diagnosed with Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia (cancer of the blood and bone marrow) since 2019 has cried out to Nigerians for assistance to raise N65m needed to undergo a bone marrow transplant in a Turkey based hospital.

According to Bakare who was before the sickness a lively family man with a small scale business running, his travails started some few years back shortly after getting married.

‘It started with regular feverish feelings and general weakness of my body system. Prior to this time, I have never been sick nor admitted to any hospital. When the symptoms started manifesting, I didn’t initially pay attention to it till I one day fell while ironing my clothes. Before then, I only took some time off my small business to relax at home. However, after the fall incident, I decided to visit the hospital because I experienced it more than once and was also fast losing weight,” Bakare explained.

CML is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood. It is usually diagnosed in its chronic phase when treatment is very effective for most patients.

In search for solution to his predicament, Bakare who put the estimate of the money spent so far at N7.5m said he has been to Ikorodu General Hospital from where he proceeded to Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and later on referral to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile Ife, Osun State.

“I ran series of tests at Ikorodu General Hospital that could not pinpoint exactly what was wrong with me. So I was asked to go for more comprehensive tests at LASUTH. It was after one of the tests at LASUTH that the doctor assigned to me (Dr. Dosunmu) noticed from the results that my spleen was enlarged and called for another test. The clinical summary and diagnosis of the second test confirmed that I have Chronic Myelocytic Leukemia (CML). I was also Hepatitis B virus positive. I have sold properties, expended my life savings amounting to over N7.5m on this sickness,” he said.

According to him, the doctors have affirmed that the disease is now treatment-resistant and the only option is to be flown abroad for bone marrow transplant. “For some time now there have been no visible improvements on my case. The doctors said my white blood cell count is elevated and as such no longer responding to treatment. They recommended that I go for a bone marrow transplant outside the country latest by August ending as no Nigerian hospital currently has no facility to handle a bone marrow transplant.”

Appealing to Nigerians for support, Bakare said he needs a total of N65 million to cater for the transplant, donor, post-surgery and logistics expenses at Hisar Intercontinental Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. “Through the guide of the doctors, I was able to reach Hisar Intercontinental Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. They are world famous for bone marrow, kidney and liver transplants. They charged $100,000:00 for the procedure. This is excluding donor, post-surgery and logistics expenses. That puts the total money I need at N65 million. How do I raise this kind of money without the support of Nigerians? I am calling on Nigerians home and abroad to come to my aid. Nothing is too big or small to make me live a normal life again. Kindly forward donations to these account details: Bakare Idris Abiodun, 0646851016, FCMB. God bless you all.”