THISDAY

28-year-old Sickle Cell Winnie Urgently Needs N2m from Decaying Limb, Amputation

- Rebecca Ejifoma

Winnie Onuoha-Momodu, 28, urgently needs over N2 million to save her left arm from total decay and possible amputation.

Winnie, who was a janitor at a private firm before the unfortunat­e situation began last April, is reacting to excessive intake of pentazocin­e injections.

Pentazocin­e injection, according to research, is a pain reliever used to treat or moderate severe pain during childbirth or surgery. And it is highly addictive and imperious to sickle cell patients, experts have warned.

Winnie narrated: “This incident started when I began to have sickle cell crises back to back last year. I couldn’t breathe, had constant pain, and a blood clot.

“So I got a nurse who started treating me at home. She used Pentazocin­e injection on me. After my crisis stopped coming in frequently, I had already become addicted to taking the injection. So I continued getting it and injecting myself.”

Lamenting, Winnie said the reaction started as a result of excessive intake of the injection last year. “It began like a blister, then snowballed into what I can’t even describe just this year.”

Sadly, the severe skin damage has eaten up her flesh to the bones, which are now uncovered. “It’s decaying daily and my bones are breaking right before my eyes; it hurts so much,” she bemoaned.

Having been to the Federal Neuropsych­iatric Hospital, Yaba to treat Pentazocin­e addiction, she was referred to the Nigerian Army Hospital in Yaba to see an orthopedic surgeon for further treatment.

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