The bright future of a youth corps member, who was on his way home after his compulsory one-year national assignment, is put asunder following a ghastly accident that lands him in hospital. Three years after there is no sign of recovery, as he can neither talk nor walk. NNAMDI MBAWIKE, reports.?
Stephen Nwakoukwu , a 28-year -old Accountancy? Graduate of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Imo State never bargained for what he got that fateful day.
Two months after his discharge from the National Youth Service Corps, he was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit of an hospital, a place he never imagined to be while he was passing out of the compulsory yearly national service.
As the only graduate of his poor parents, his mindset was to get out of the camp and hook up to one of the establishments in Nigeria so as to end the suffering of his family.
But he was wrong. Fate and time appear to have connived to deal him a deadly blow that he is yet to recover from.
His aim was to launch an assault on poverty and penury that have held his family hostage for many years.? Poverty has been raging in his family to the extent that his father,? a bicycle repairer from Akabo in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State, had to sell off his property and borrow money to train Nwokoukwu up to the polytechnic. In fact, after selling all he had to send Stephen to school, he could still not raise enough to sustain him, and he had to recall his other children from school to enable the first born to complete his education.
Hence, when Stephen grabbed his discharge certificate in August 2009, he hurried home to break the good news of his success to his parents. He refused to celebrate his new status outside his country home like his friends who went into enjoyment galore in the different joints in Abuja.?
But the unexpected happened on the? way; he was involved in a ghastly motor accident that led to his admission at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital,(UNTH) Ituku Ozalla, Enugu.
A few hours after the bus that conveyed him and others took off from Abuja, the vehicle crashed. Dozens of passengers died; many others, including Stephen, sustained various degrees of injuries that they are now battling to salvage.
He was initially taken to the Mother of Christ Hospital, Enugu but the hospital rejected him on the ground that his case was more than what they could handle.
However, luck came his way when the management of the UNTH ordered that the ex-corps member be transferred to ICU unit following the degree of injuries he sustained.
That has become Stephen’s home since 2009. His joy has been killed and hope of becoming the messiah of his family put on hold. The family has also been thrown into desperation as they are unable to raise enough money for his treatment, which has lingered beyond their expectation. Yet there is no end in sight.
The condition of the man appears hopeless too. After almost three years in the ICU, Stephen’s condition is yet to improve. He can neither stand up on his own nor talk as a normal human being.
The parents are confused and debilitated by the misfortune that has gripped their breadwinner.
When our correspondent visited the accident victim at the hospital, he could not respond to questions. The nurses however managed to sit him down for pictures.
A source told LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that Stephen’s relatives and parents who were also nowhere to be found during the visit were already tired of his helpless situation.
The source added they had also resorted to begging in order to get funds to offset Stephen’s medical bills and possibly transfer him to a hospital outside Nigeria for further treatment.?
Although Stephen’s condition is still bad, it was gathered that the hospital discharged him since 10th of January 2011 after administering the first phase of medical treatment on him.?
At the time? of his discharge, Stephen’s? medical bill was about N600,000 but his parents were only able to pay about N300,000 after disposing all that they had.
Presently, Stephen, who was diagnosed of Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries, can neither work nor make use of his brain and to worsen the situation, he cannot be taken out of the hospital for further treatment.
Narrating Stephen’s plight to LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, a nurse in the hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity disclosed that the accident victim was unconscious for over two months.
According to her, Stephen was breathing through Oxygen machine throughout his stay in the intensive care unit.?
She disclosed that the Nekede Polytechnic graduate only regained consciousness after two months in? the ICU, regretting however, that he was yet to use his brain and different parts of his body because of the head and spinal cord injuries he sustained.
“ When he was brought to this hospital, nobody thought that he would survive till now; we even thought that he was already dead. He was unconscious for over two months.
When contacted, the Senior Medical Social Worker in UNTH, Mrs Chidinma Ndam called on good spirited individuals to come to the rescue of the Stephen.
She disclosed that the victim needed more funds to enable him go for further treatment and offset medical bills.
Mrs Ndam appealed to people to assist Stephen financially to enable him to fulfil his vision in life.