FEATURES Help me, I’m not free, cries 29-year-old ‘hermaphrodite’
For 29-year-old Oluwaseun Samuel Fajilade, life has been tough following a rare condition which has stymied his dreams. Fajilade, a student of the School of Education, IkereEkiti, Ekiti State, might have envisaged for himself a normal life with towering dreams and aspirations, but his condition has become a burden.
He has, from childhood, battled with the condition of being born an hermaphrodite – having the symptoms or organs of both the male and female, prompting a race from one hospital to another to correct the deformity to no avail.
Seun who was born to the family of Mr. Babatunde and Mrs. Kehinde Fajilade on March 16, 1987 at Onikan Health Centre, Lagos State, according to medical experts is suffering from a condition known as Disorders of Sex Development (DSD) which is a medical condition involving the way the reproductive system develops from infancy (and before birth) through young adulthood.
At the time of his birth, it was learnt that doctors told his parents they were not sure of his gender, while they were referred to another specialist hospital on Lagos Island known as Massey Hospital. Again, the doctors said the case was beyond what they could handle, and the next port of call was the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba. He was admitted for a week before he was discharged for the naming ceremony to be done.
Seun’s father recalled how they were going up and down in the early days of his life, carrying out various tests and x-rays to find a solution to the congenital developmental problem of his son. The family became frustrated and embarrassed when young Seun became the object of medical observation by students.
It was learnt that Seun had no testicles for the first five years of his life. The doctors reportedly told the family that an operation to correct the ‘abnormality’ could only be done when the child was six-years old. So two operations to restore his testis were carried out. The first one was done at age six as advised by the doctor and one of the testes descended into the stratum. The second operation was carried out when he was 12-years old in order to make the second testis descend.
The two surgeries did not however correct Seun’s disorders as they began to notice him showing the traits of a girl. His breasts began to swell like that of a young lady, and this raised fear in the parents ,who had to rush back to the hospital where another round of x-rays, diagnoses and tests were conducted.
Narrating their ordeal, Seun’s dad said, “The experience of going up and down in the hospital has been traumatizing. We had to go back to the hospital when his breasts were becoming big, and this began to affect his education as well. His primary school days were pretty okay but after his primary education, we were faced with finding a solution to his problem. After shuttling to LUTH for four years, the doctor in charge eventually told us that he would have to undergo surgery to restore his gender. The doctor asked us which gender he would prefer, and I said I would want my son to be my son. We gave him a male name at the time of his birth, and we wouldn’t want to change that.”
Seun’s father also stated that the family had visited many churches and spiritual homes in search of solution to their son’s condition, all to no avail.
Now, a nongovernment organization, Divine Favour Foundation has taken up the task of soliciting for help and support to raise N20million for Seun to undergo the surgery. Mr. Oluwaseun David Funmilayo, the Chief Executive of the foundation, it was learnt, got to know of the plight of the family through a friend, and he decided to visit the hospital to check the medical records of Seun. David told our correspondent that the doctor revealed that Seun’s male organ is the dominant and it could be corrected.
“We were told that the breast can be ingested and the female organ closed, while the penis would be pumped out”, he said, adding that the surgeries involving different stages would be done at Fortis Hospital in India.
Acopy of the letter from the hospital obtained by our correspondent indicates that the case was reviewed by Dr. Richie Gupta, Senior Consultant and Head, Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery, Fortis Hospital, New Delhi India, reviewed the medical reports and information provided by the patient and advised as follows:
“Patient Seun Samuel Fajilade requires full work up/evaluation followed by gender correction surgery in two stages. The cost of the first stage will be 3,300 US dollars which includes 7 days stay in a sharing room at the hospital where an attendant can also stay with the patient, presurgery medical test and consultation, surgeon fee, nursing care, medicines and consumables, food for the patient and attendant and airport transfers,” the report said.
The second stage of surgery on the other hand is estimated to cost 7,800 US dollars covering expenses similar to the first stage. The N20m estimated medical expenses also cover travelling expenses.
David said at the moment, they have not been able to raise any money to even do a visa for Seun, and called on public spirited individuals to assist the patient.
Seun said, “I am willing to undergo the surgery so far everything would be successful. I call on Nigerians to come to my aid to overcome my challenge. I want to live a normal life and I believe the contribution of each and every Nigerian would go a long way. I need your help, please I need your help, I am not happy with my condition, I am not free, I want to be free. Help me, May God bless you.”