Following the outcry for public help by Mrs. Iyabo Sanni, mother of Ms Ganiyat Sanni whose two kidneys were damaged and was in urgent need of transplant, THE IMPACT took up the campaign after it was posted to its Whatsap Chat platform by Mr Bolu Hassan.
The administrator of the media platform immediately setup a committee comprising Mrs Funke Awoyemi, a community development advocate and business woman, Comrade Mani Shonubi , Mr Ibrahim Alani Onibudo, a student in Canada, Mr Bolu Hassan and Kunle Adelabu, the Publisher/Reporter-in-Chief and administrator of THE IMPACT Whatsap Chat platform, to champion the #SaveGaniyatSanni campaign.
Mrs Funke Awoyemi and Mr Hassan were picked as Chairman and Secretary of the campaign respectively . On May 2, 2019, the committee officially commenced work by not only raising money for the kidney transplant of the 17 year old kidney patient but to also managed her health before the surgery.
According to her medical report from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Ganiyat was diagnosed with End Stage Kidney Disease (ESRD) secondary to SLE and in need of transplant.
The kidney transplant cost was put at N8.5million in Nigeria and $25, 000 abroad.
Ganiyat’s mum volunteered to donate one of her kidneys to save her daughter’s life. This nullifies the problem of searching for a donor and its attendant financial cost.
INITIAL CHALLENGES.
The committee , which set out to raise fund for the surgery , did not envisage any challenge in carrying out this task but the reality dawned on its members the very first week they started the campaign.
At that time, Ganiyat’s family had no financial capacity to cope with any of the expenses involved in her treatment which included her weekly dialysis costs put between N100, 000 and N120, 000, drugs, cost of moving her and her mum to hospital for her weekly dialysis and other upkeep costs . All these came as a shock to the committee but we did not hesitate to swiftly respond to the situation as we granted Ganiyat’s mother an express approval of fund from the money generated to ensure that she has the needed money to enable her cater for all daughter’s needs.
Between May and July, Ganiyat developed complications twice and she had to be rushed to LASUTH. The last time she developed complication and had to be rushed to LASUTH was on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 and she was on admission till Wednesday, 10th of July.
While on admission, she developed further complications which resulted in her being placed on oxygen as a matter of urgency. Cost of oxygen per day is N5000 ( Five thousand naira exactly). During this period, she was also observing her dialysis which, sometimes, was every other day according to her doctor’s emphatic advise.
KIDNEY TRANSPLANT.
Following the doctor’s report at LASUTH and after wide consultations, the committee resolved to go for the transplant in India. But when she developed complications while the committee was planning ahead for her surgery, we reviewed the delicate possibility of moving her to India for the transplant because of the risks involved.
This led us to contemplate other alternatives like United States of America (USA) and South Africa (and this was tabled before a group that partnered with us, especially in the area of technical and financial supports).
It was in the course of facing the challenges of traveling abroad for the operation that the issue over the possibility of getting the transplant done in Nigeria came up and three leading hospitals were suggested to us by our contacts abroad. These hospitals included Zenith Kidney Centre, Abuja, University of Ogbomosho Teaching Hospital, Oyo State , and University Teaching Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
We wasted no time in settling for Zenith hospital which has the highest number of successful kidney transplant as well as state-of-the-art-facilities.
A contact was established with the help of Ganiyat’s doctor in Lagos.
On Thursday, July 11, 2019, a day after Ganiyat was discharged from LASUTH, she was moved to Abuja aboard Medview Airlines with her mother and the representative of THE IMPACT, Mrs Funke Awoyemi.
At Zenith hospital, the transplant , which cost N8,360,000 ( Eight million, three hundred and sixty thousand naira exactly) being broken as N7,300,000 (Seven million, three hundred thousand naira exactly) for actual surgery and N1,060,000 (One million and sixty thousand naira exactly) for various tests mostly carried out abroad was SUCCESSFULLY DONE on 20th July, 2019, for both the mum (donor) and Ganiyat (patient).
After the transplant, Ganiyat was moved into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on 26, July, 2019, and spent some days in the semi-private room of the hospital before she was discharged on July 10, 2019. On the same day, she was moved into the #10,000 daily Zenith hospital guest house facility alongside her mother , where they are expected to stay for the next three months while they attend daily checkups at Zenith hospital.
It is important to note that in preparation for their discharge, the committee had initially rented a fully tiled room self-contain apartment at App Dutse in Gudu Area for N100, 000 (a year) when we could not get an apartment for six months with the hope of getting somebody to take up the apartment thereafter in order to recoup part of the money paid for the rent. The agency fee was N12000 which is 12% of the rent.
This apartment was, however, vacated after the doctor at Zenith hospital raised some observations and insisted on having them at the hospital’s facility for close monitoring and observations.
We are still in discussion with the landlord of the former apartment over the possibility of refunding part of the money paid for the rent.
FUND RAISING.
Our approach in raising the required fund was based on appeal via social media platforms , meeting and sending letters of appeal to individuals and groups.
It is also imperative to note that some groups and individuals also called to know where they could be of assistance.
At first, the Chief Executive Officer of THE IMPACT approved the usage of an account (F&S Royal Ltd) donated by Mrs Funke Awoyemi ,who is the chairman of the campaign , for proper management of the fund raised but within a week that we started the campaign, we added Ganiyat’s mother’s account because, one, some willing donors requested that they wanted to donate directly to the patient’s account. Two, it was felt that an alternative account was necessary just in case there is difficulty in transferring donations to the other account and more importantly, there was need to allow Ganiyat’s mum quick access to fund especially for Ganiyat’s treatments and drugs purchase, etc.
This was, however, approved with a caveat that she (Ganiyat’s mother)must be judicious in using the fund and that she must ensure that receipts are issued where necessary.
EXPENSES.
A total sum of N1,201,523.55 (One million, two hundred and one thousand, five hundred and twenty three naira, fifty five Kobo exactly) was generated from donations into F&S Royal Ltd account with Sterling bank.
Out of this, N31,000 ( Thirty one thousand naira exactly) was expended on Press Conference held at Imota Local Council Development Area and N100,000 ( One hundred thousand naira exactly) for Abuja trip for two persons.
The sum of N5, 884.55 ( Five thousand, eight hundred and eighty four naira, fifty five Kobo exactly) is bank charges on the total sum.
The remaining balance is N1,064,638.75 (One million and sixty four thousand, six hundred and thirty eight naira, seventy five Kobo exactly). This has since been transferred to Mrs Sanni’s account on Monday, September 2nd, 2019 and she has confirmed the receipt.
The bulk of the fund generated was domiciled in Ganiyat’s mother’s Access Bank account but we are yet to check the figures from her account since they are still recuperating. Expenses are still being incurred at the hospital facilities where they are currently staying since their discharge from the hospital after the surgery.
In addition, almost a million naira has been expended on treatments /checkups, drugs and other expenses after the transplant had been carried out.
POST TRANSPLANT UPKEEP.
As a group, we are mindful of the condition of the Sannis and as a result, we have put in place measures to ensure their stability after returning home by approaching some individuals regarding post-transplant upkeep of both mother and daughter and their family at large. According to her doctors and others, the post-transplant treatment and upkeep are very key to preventing any unfortunate developments.
We have written to some individuals and groups in this respect and some have been giving us assurances. Part of our post-transplant plans is to secure job for Ganiyat’s father and also ensure that her mum resumes her trading activities.
We appeal to public-spirited individuals to assist in this regard by kindly directing any financial assistance for Ganiyat and mother’s post-transplant treatments and upkeep to Mrs Iyabo Sanni’s Access Bank Account No 0800894597.
Appreciation/Winding Down
Our sincere appreciation goes out to the members of the general public that supported #SaveGaniyatSanni campaign financially, spiritually, morally, physically and in other various forms.
It would have been a different ball-game without individuals, groups and organizations that donated money and provided technical supports to save Ganiyat Sanni’s life.
Without prejudice to others, we want to thank, in particular, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of the Governor, Hon. Babajimi Benson, Member, House of Representatives, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, the Majority Leader, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Nurudeen Solaja, Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon.Wasiu Agoro, Chairman, Imota LCDA, Comrade Sesan Daini, Chairman, Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, former Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban Development, *Otunba Segun Abiru, Chairman, Ikorodu-Oga Development Association (IKODASS), Zakat & Zadaku Foundation, Imota Community Old Students’ Association, Imota, Imota Community Senior Grammar School, Imota and others too numerous to mention.
Technically, the #SaveGaniyatSanni campaign , initiated by THE IMPACT , has drawn the curtain on its operation with this report.
Thank you all and God bless.
Yours sincerely,
1. Kunle Adelabu, Publisher/CEO THE IMPACT
2. Funke Awoyemi, Chairman, #SaveGaniyatSanni
3. Boluwatife Hassan, Secretary
4. Comrade Senator Francis Mani Shonubi- Member and
5. Mr Ibrahim Onibudo- Member
