‘Save my life’ — Ekweremadu’s daughter, Sonia, appeals for kidney donation
Sonia Ekweremadu, daughter of Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, has appealed for a kidney donation.
The former deputy senate president and Beatrice, his wife, are currently facing charges in a UK court over alleged conspiracy to facilitate organ harvesting.
Ekweremadu’s daughter is said to be suffering from a kidney disease and needs a transplant.
While Ekweremadu’s wife was granted bail on July 22, the former senator’s request for the same was denied.
In a post on Instagram soliciting the donation, Sonia said she dropped out of her postgraduate studies at the University of Newcastle in 2019, after she was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) nephrotic syndrome, a rare kidney disease.
She described her battle with kidney disease as “challenging”, adding that the charges faced by her parents in court had complicated the current situation.
“I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life. My family has battled to save my life and has taken me to various hospitals, but the illness persisted and kept degenerating,” she wrote.
“I am alive today by the special grace of God. I am presently in London, UK, receiving 5 hours of dialysis 3-4 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 the matter 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 the truth will prevail and it will end in praise to God.”
She noted that her family members have been advised against kidney donation as medical examination showed her case was genetic.
She, therefore, appealed for a kidney donation from any member of the public willing to do so.
“Anybody that is moved by this appeal and wishes to donate his or her kidney to me may send an email to helpsonialive@gmail.com and include his or her name, phone number, email address and place of residence,” she wrote.
“Please note that under the laws of England, 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 challenge of kidney disease, upon my full recovery.”