General News of Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
Just about a month ago, he barely looked like a ‘normal baby’. His eyes were swollen and his stomach bulging, making life unbearable for him and his mother.
A frustrated and helpless mother, Martha Addae only wanted her baby boy; Michael, to get medical aid but didn’t have the means to realise that.
For over 12 months, little Michael, whose infected kidney made it necessary that he visits the hospital virtually every month, had been home, unattended to and was increasingly swelling.
A Physician specialist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Mensah Amoah had explained that if his condition; Nephrotic Syndrome remained unattended to, it could have dire consequences on his health.
“When you have these swellings, you are predisposed to infections, you are at risk of developing blood clots within the veins, which if care is not taken, can go into your lungs and cause breathing difficulty and the child can lose his life. Apart from that, because you are losing proteins through the kidney, those proteins can cause damage to the kidney itself and can result in kidney failure,” He said in an interview with GhanaWeb's Wonder Ami Hagan.
He also mentioned that though correctable, treatment had to be consistent for not less than a year and that would sum up to a total of about GHc10 to GHc12,000.
Shortly after the story was aired, many, through various support means, donated monies to help this course. Michael was sent back to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he was initially transferred for treatment, and with the first phase of treatment, his health has significantly improved.
The swellings are absent, and the bulge in the stomach has significantly reduced.