By Adesina Soyooye
Former Deputy Senate President, Dr Ike Ekweremadu, has been diagnosed with acute kidney damage. This was revealed by his daughter, Sonia, who is, also, suffering from a rare kidney disease.
Sonia, 25, who lives in London, revealed her father’s status in an emotional statement she released on Monday, September 12, where she pleaded that her life be saved by a compassionate donor.
“In the time that my father has been incarcerated, he has been diagnosed with acute kidney damage”, Sonia wrote.
The Senator and his wife had arranged for a donor from Nigeria who they sponsored to the United Kingdom for the purpose of donating one of his kidneys to their daughter, Sonia. But the proposed donor turned rogue when he arrived London. He reported the Ekweremadus – the Senator and his wife, Beatrice – to the London Metropolitan Police, and alleged that unknown to him, he was brought to London by the Ekweremadus for the sole purpose of harvesting his kidney for the benefit of their daughter.
On 21st June, 2022, the Senator and his wife were arrested at the Heathrow Airport, London, on their arrival from Istanbul, Turkey, and charged to Court on allegation of illegal organ harvesting.
Since then, while the trial is going on, the Senator has remained in Prison custody and denied bail. His wife, after a couple of months in custody, was granted bail.
In an emotional statement she released on Monday, Sonia wrote about her ordeal and the ordeal her family is going through because of her. She disclosed that she is suffering from a rare kidney disease – FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome – which forced her to drop out of school. Presently, Sonia said, she undergoes a five-hour dialysis three times a week.
She is begging for a kind donor because, she said, the ailment is genetic and the Doctors advised her against a donation from any member of her family, as the ailment is most likely to reoccur.
She said her family had battled to save her life, but that the ailment kept degenerating. “I am alive today by the special grace of God”, she noted.
Sonia lamented her parents present fate in London, but said she wouldn’t go into details since the case is in Court. She is, however, optimistic that the truth would come out.
Sonia: “The last three years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London, presently, are directly connected to my illness and have complicated matters 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 truth will prevail and it will end in praise to God.”
The full text of her statement reads:
“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 Conventry. 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 five hours of dialysis, three to four 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 three years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London, presently, are directly connected to my illness, and have complicated matters for me and my family. I do not intend to delve into the 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 of God.
“In the circumstances above, I am appealing to anybody whom it may please to assist me, willingly, with a kidney donation, in the name of God.”
She noted that she didn’t have to resort to a public appeal if the Doctors had not told her that her illness is genetic, making it impossible for a family member to donate to her because the disease would reoccur.
Sonia: 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. In the time that my father has been incarcerated, he has been diagnosed with acute kidney damage
“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.”
The case of the Ekweremadus will come up again in October. It is not known if the Judge would be moved to grant bail to Senator Ekweremadu or not. If bail is not granted in October, he is likely to be in prison till the first quarter of 2023, probably, until the end of the sad and unfortunate case.
