By Cynthia Akande
Sonia Ekweremadu, ailing daughter of former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has made a public appeal for kidney donation.
The lawmaker’s daughter made the appeal amid the ordeal of her parents who landed in trouble in the quest to save her.
He and his wife were arrested earlier in June when they tried to get a kidney donor for Sonia, who is in his mid 20s.
Prosecutors had arraigned the couple in court over alleged trafficking and attempt to harvest the organs of an underage.
Beatrice, the lawmaker’s wife, was later granted bail while th Senator has remained in custody pending October when his case would be heard.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Sonia, who is based in the UK, asked members of the public to assist her.
“I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life. I am 25 years old and a graduate of Media and Communications, University of Coventry. I dropped out of my post-graduate studies at the University of Newcastle in 2019 when I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, FSGS.
“Nephrotic Syndrome. My family has battled to save my life and has taken me to various hospitals, but the illness persisted and kept degenerating. I am alive today by the special grace of God. I am presently in London, UK, receiving 5 Hours of dialysis 3-4 times a week. This is at the expense of my family as I am not qualified for NHS due to my immigration status.
“The last 3 years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London presently, are directly connected to my illness and have complicated matter for me and my family.
“I do not intend to delve into details of this unfortunate development as the matter is still in Court. I am however optimistic that the truth will prevail and it will end in praise to God. In the circumstance above, I am appealing to anybody whom it may please to assist me willingly with a kidney donation in the name of God. This appeal would have been utterly unnecessary as every member of my family is eager to donate their kidney to me, knowing that I would do the same for any of them. Regrettably, comprehensive medical examination showed that my case of nephrotic syndrome is a genetic illness and the doctors advised against donation from any of my family members, as it would likely reoccur.
“Anybody that is moved by this appeal and wishes to donate his or her kidney to me may send an email to [email protected] and include his or her name, phone number, email address and place of residence.
“Please, note that under the laws of England and Wales, organ donation must be purely driven by compassion and therefore no reward is involved. Finally, I have decided to commit and dedicate myself to helping people with the challenges of kidney disease, upon my full recovery. Thank you and God bless you.”
