17 Tale of Maryam’s lump and Abu’s tumor
Orphaned at a very tender age Maryam Shu’aibu, 19, who hail from Awasa, a sprawling settlement near Birnin Kebbi moved to the state capital and became a regular sight on the streets.
As she moved from place to place begging for alms she certainly enjoyed the kind gesture of some good spirited passersby who threw stipends at her in support of her search for daily bread. But Maryam had a health challenge that required more than just stipends for daily living. She became a pathetic sight to behold; on her face was this huge lump that had ballooned and spread almost reaching her eyes and blocking her nostrils.
She continued begging on the streets of Birnin Kebbi with this life threatening lump until in 2015 when she was first discovered by a Birnin Kebbi based nongovernmental organization called Alqibla Progressive Union.
Following the intervention of this group of friends Maryam was profiled and checked into a hospital for her first surgery in 2015. But thereafter the doctors cautioned that there could be a possible relapse due to her age and other clinical factors.
Indeed, there was a relapse after the initial operation as cautioned by the doctors; consequent upon which the lump on Maryam’s face resurfaced and started spreading thereby forcing the poor girl back on the streets to resume begging for alms.
Based on the advice by the doctors for another surgery, members of the Alqibla Progressive Union were said to have mobilized resources to take care of presurgery obligations, surgery itself, drugs and other charges.
Chairman of Alqibla Progressive Union, Abubakar Umaru, explained that a total of N250, 000 was required for surgery and post-surgery treatment, drugs as well as feeding for the patient.
He expressed the hope that Maryam would get better after the second operation disclosing that there were further plans to train her in a suitable trade and provide her with a small take off capital to take her off the streets.
“This operation is expected to be the last and if successful will put life back into Maryam to be able to quit begging and hopefully learn a trade and be productive.”
Although there was a passionate appeal on kind spirited individuals and organizations to contribute to make the N250, 000 available to save Maryam from her life threatening health challenge, the response was not encouraging, Umaru said. “We only got a contribution of N20, 000 from Musa Inuwa Kubo, Borno State commissioner for Education.”
Nonetheless, he said, they taxed themselves and Maryam was scheduled to be wheeled into the theatre at the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday April 4 for the new surgery. After analyzing all the results of tests conducted at various hospitals and centers, the surgeons evaluated her condition and picked a date to open her face up and try removing the lump which had ballooned so much threatening to block her airways and the entire face.
After 8 hours in the theatre room of the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi to remove the life-threatening lump on her face, Maryam eventually emerged with relief.
“I visited her that morning and found her with a bandage covering half of her face but she was awake and a bit chatty”, said Yakubu BK, a member of the Alqibla Progressive
Our goal is to make it easier for these people and for our intervention to help change our ‘I don’t care attitude’ to the poor and helpless in our midst
Union.
According to Yakubu, the process of further examinations and observation leading to her full recovery had begun in earnest, adding: “Those of us under the umbrella of Alqibla Progressive Union that have contributed money, time and energy in the build up to checking her into hospital will continue to play the role of father and mother to the orphan until, by the will of Allah she fully recovers. We thank all those who have offered prayers to this cause and we pray to Allah to reward them abundantly.”
Maryam’s story was said to have attracted the attention of Ibrahim Bagudu, a businessman and philanthropist who reportedly visited her at the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin-Kebbi after surgery on April 4 and provided an assistance of N200, 000 for the continuation of her treatment. Bagudu, a relative of the State governor was also said to have pledged to be at hand to cover additional expenses on the patient should they arise.
Like Maryam, 37 year old Abu Shehu is a familiar beggar on the streets of Birnin Kebbi. A father of 4 children, Abu shares a similar health challenge with Maryam as he was said to have been battling with a life threatening tumor on his head since childhood.
Until a few weeks ago when he almost became bedridden, Abu Shehu could be seen traversing the streets of the state capital soliciting for alms to feed his family.
“I had met him about two times around the Central Market asking for help and even though I took pity on him and silently prayed Allah to make it easy for him, just like others he met, I went my way without a whimper of effort to do something about his condition than to throw stipends at him”, said Yakubu BK.
Yakubu said when he earlier got involved with the 19 year old Maryam Shu’aibu, whose lump on the face was removed at the Federal Medical Centre, his perception about how helpless and unfortunate members of the society were treated dradically changed.
“Again, when Ibrahim Bagudu intervened and provided succor for the girl, I sounded him out on the need to extend comprehensive care for these unfortunate souls going about town with visible and pathetic ailments most of which could be remedied with minimal cost. Ibrahim Bagudu gave me the go ahead to check more people with similar problems into hospital”, he explained.
It was against this background that Yakubu said he suddenly remembered Abu Shehu’s tumor and set out to locate him. “In less than two hours, I figured him out on the streets and was talking to him on how to check him into hospital on Tuesday April 10 at the Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kebbi.
“I met a group of very dutiful and competent specialists who quickly run initial checks on him and asked us to conduct some lab tests. In a nutshell, we are commencing action and hopefully the tumor will be removed soon”, Yakubu said.
Like Maryam, Yakubu said based on the assurances given by the doctors, the Alqibla Progressive Union was confident that barring any ugly development, they could handle his case, saying: “Our plan is to treat him, In Shaa Allah and explore the possibility of rehabilitating him.”
Soliciting for prayers to enable Abu’s proposed surgery a successful one, Yakubu said: “Our goal is to make it easier for these people and for our intervention to help change our ‘I don’t care attitude’ to the poor and helpless in our midst. They are everywhere in our towns and cities moving about with visible health challenges that could be dealt with, but we often throw peanuts at them just to wish them away.”