Actress, Eucharia Anunobi has opened up about the de.ath of her only son, Raymond, which she says resulted from alleged medical negligence at a Lagos hospital
Raymond, her only child with ex-husband Charles Ekwu, lived with sickle cell disease, a condition she attributed to the AS genotype she and her ex-husband both carried. Eucharia, now 60 and a pastor, shared her story on a recent episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast on YouTube.
She explained that after her son turned 16, she took him for a routine check-up following a trip abroad. During the visit, the haematologist recommended a blood transfusion to boost Raymond’s blood count. While she went to pay for the procedure, a student doctor mistakenly performed a blood extraction, removing three pints of Raymond’s blood instead of administering the transfusion.
“When I returned with the blood, I noticed he had turned yellow,” she said. Despite the efforts of the attending doctor, Raymond’s condition worsened, and he was moved to the ICU. “Long story short, that’s how my son died. He passed due to medical negligence,” she added.
Raymond died on August 22, 2017, at the age of 16 years, six months, and 22 days. Eucharia reflected on her loss, saying that while she has remained childless since, she is grateful for the years she spent with him and the lessons learned through motherhood.
“I have come to understand that it does not matter how anyone dies, whether young or old; we are all going to die. The word of God is my consolation,” she said. “I’m grateful to God for having made me a mother. I learned so much caring for him and in my relationship with God — like they say, the hard way.”
Eucharia marked the interview date to coincide with what would have been Raymond’s birthday, saying, “Today happens to be my son’s birthday… I was praying and thought, ‘Wow, what a day.’ I am childless today, but I thank God for having a few people who love me and call me mummy.”
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