A 17-year-old boy, Daniel Akanni, is appealing to Nigerians for N2 million to undergo an amputation of his left leg and be fitted with an artificial limb.
Daniel was born with a deformity in his left leg. At 18 months old, he had corrective surgery at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos. The surgery helped him to walk, but he was left with a limp because the corrected leg was shorter than the other.
Now a prospective Petroleum Engineering student, Daniel says all he wants is a chance to walk properly again.
“I am pleading with Nigerians to help me walk again. My parents have expended all they had,” he said.
“Please help me. I have faith that the surgery will be successful. All I need is your financial help and God will bless you all as you do so.”
His mother, Oluwatoyin Akanni, said the family has been seeking medical help for years.
“He was born with the deformity of the left leg. When he was one and half years, we took him to Igbobi and they told us he would undergo surgery,” she said.
“The surgery was done and it was successful. So he was able to walk then but the leg was shorter than the other. So, that made him limp and he was bending towards one side.”
She explained that doctors later recommended a second surgery to correct the length, but the family couldn’t afford it.
In 2020, they enrolled Daniel in the Lagos State Government’s “Hello Lagos” free surgery programme for children with K-leg. The procedure was done by doctors at Gbagada, but his condition deteriorated afterward.
“It was done by some doctors at Gbagada. Despite the surgery, his condition worsened and the leg twisted and now he can’t walk again,” Oluwatoyin said.
“We went back to the doctors and they applied POP but nothing changed. We went back again and they told us they don’t have the instrument to correct it and we were left to our fate.”
The family later returned to Igbobi, where doctors told them the only option left was to amputate the leg from the knee and fit Daniel with a prosthetic limb.
Oluwatoyin said the hospital quoted N2 million for the amputation and the artificial limb, with the surgery alone costing N710,000.
“We are told to get N2m ready but we can’t afford that. Surgery is N710,000 with the artificial limb, we need N2m according to the doctors. We have nothing. We need help. We want Nigerians to help us so our son can walk again,” she lamented.
Donations can be made to:
Bank Name: FCMB
Account Number: 9378042011