The life of little Christabel Steve is at risk as she loses her sense organ to a strange illness at a tender age of three. EGWUAGHA AMARACHI reports that she needs 3.8 million naira to correct abnormalities, according to doctors advice.
Three-year-old Christabel Steve is the only daughter of Pastor and Mrs Steve Ucheghe Ulu who hails from Ohafia in Abia state. She is the third child of the parents.
Three years after being born, Blueprint gathered that Christabel developed brain turmoil, an ailment that has led her to temporarily lose the sense organs. A child who was once lively, was attending school and performing well among her peers, even at that age, suddenly developed this illness that is about to shatter her future, if not treated quickly.
Currently, she is on admission at the Pediatric/Surgical Ward of Federal Teaching Hospital (FETHA 2) Abakaliki in Ebonyi state with the parents lamenting lack of funds to carry out the surgery as they have no other source of income except pastoral work.
Parents speak
While speaking with Blueprint, the father of the three-year-old girl said, “I am Christabel’s father, my name is Pastor Steven Ucheghe Ulu from Ohafia in Abia state.I am a Pastor in Later House Revival Ministries at No 13 Umualoma street, off Nkaliki road here in Abakaliki.
“My daughter, Christabel, developed brain cancer/ brain turmoil since June 2020 and we rushed her to the hospital according to the doctor’s directive. She was first taken to a hospital in Enugu for CT scan where it was done.
“We came back to the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA1) and were later referred to FETHA 2 here where they told us to meet a consultant. After meeting the consultant, the man told us that it is a brain turmoil and would require surgery that would take N3.8million. He said the first one is N300,000 while the second one is N3,5million. So, that’s why we are in this hospital and the first one has been done which is N300,000 through a good Samaritan that God used to do that. We are still believing God to touch the hearts of people all over the world to come to our assistance, to assist my daughter Christabel to get back to her normal life.
“So, what we need now is N3.5million to get her back to her normal life. Christabel is a pupil going to school before; she had no problem and I have not seen such a thing in her life before. She was normal, talking, playing with other children. Suddenly, this thing started developing.
“After her birthday in May this year, the first week of June, we saw her staggering. If she is walking, she will be staggering. We thought that it was just an ordinary thing but we later discovered that it was not normal. That was when we rushed her to the hospital and were told that it’s a brain turmoil problem. I have hope that she will be alright; even the doctors told us that she would get herself back after the surgeries. She is the third child in my family; I have two boys and she is the only girl that is in my house,” he said.
According to her mother, Mrs Eucheria Steven while corroborating her husband, she said, “It has not been easy for me as the mother; the pains, the headache, the sleepless nights have been terrible. It has not been really easy for me because I am the one always here, taking care of her while the father is out there looking for help.
“At the initial time, we thought that her behaviour was normal childish acts and that was the first week. Then after the second week, I noticed that it continued. I then drew the attention of my husband that it was no longer a childish act because the first week had gone and it continued the second week and the third week. That was when we noticed that it was a serious matter.
“As it continued, we got to the hospital and were advised by the doctors to run a scan on her. So, from there, here we are.
“As you can see, there is a tube connected to her nose and she manages to eat through the tube. Nurses feed her with palp through the tube that is connected to her nose and that is the only food she is eating and that is the way she is managing to eat.
“I feel bad about her condition as a mother because I know how she used to do; I hardly fed her myself before, she feeds herself, she does everything herself but today, she can’t do anything herself again and I feel very bad.”
Medical doctor speaks
One of the medical practitioners who spoke to Blueprint on anonymity said, “Little has been done regarding Christabel’s condition. The only procedure that was done by someone who wants to remain anonymous and who volunteered to foot the bill is the VP shunt which is shunting of the cerebrospinal fluid that accumulated in the brain. So, the main thing that is needed now is the defenatory surgery and that is the turmoil recession which would be followed by the radiotherapy.
“By the grace of God, there is nothing that is impossible for God to do even if it may seem impossible in the eyes of man. Already, the consultant surgeon has assured us that after the turmoil recession, that she will come back to life. So, we hope and we believe that she will be restored back to normal life after the surgery because we believe that is the turmoil that is causing all the problems that she is developing like the blindness, the inability to use her limbs, even the current seizure she is having and other issues. Once the turmoil is removed, everything will come back to normal by the grace of God.
“With the history I heard from her parents because I happened to meet them in September, it was normal until around June this year. What started was the gate; they saw her walking and she was not walking normal and they thought it was just ordinary. Before they could know it, she couldn’t use the limbs; she cannot even sit up on her own. Gradually, gradually to the losing of her sight, she is now deaf; she is dump and other issues. But by the grace of God, once the turmoil is removed, I believe those issues will be resolved.
“The first procedure that was done in this FETHA is just to create the passage of the cerebral fluid which accumulated in her brain. That one was N300,000 and it was footed by an anonymous individual which we continue to pray for God to bless him. But the turmoil recession(surgery) which will be done in Enugu will amount to about N3.5million and the money is not available. The parents of this baby are so poor and that is why as a health personnel, I am pleading for assistance on their behalf. People, government, NGOs, corporate bodies should come to the aid of Christabel to assist her to live again. People should please help this poor girl so that she can bounce back to her normal activities again.
