Teenager needs N1.8m for jaw cancer surgery

The family of 14-year-old Reuben Azazi has called for assistance to enable their son undergo medical surgery for Burkitt lymphoma, also known as aggressive cancer on his jaw.

Burkitt lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, particularly B lymphocytes found in the germinal center. It is named after Denis Parsons Burkitt, the Irish surgeon who first described the disease in 1958 while working in equatorial Africa.

A medical report obtained by The Guardian from Federal Medical Centre  (FMC), Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State  capital, where he was being treated,  showed a total medical bill of N1,791,100 million.

In the report signed by Dr. Y. M. Anebi, unit consultant, Paediatric Haemato-Oncology unit of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, showed that Reuben was admitted into the facility and will need the estimated cost for the commencement of treatment.

Reuben, the third child of his late mother, who died five years ago, was admitted on March 24, 2023 at the FMC, Yenagoa, with bilateral jaw cancer.

The younger sister to the teenager’s late mother, from the Ogboinbiri Community in Bayelsa State, Ashanti Bekewei, decried the current state of her nephew. She called on the public to come to the rescue of the boy’s life. She said: “I am appealing for financial assistance for 14-year-old Reuben. He has a purpose in life. He has a dream in life.

Bekewei appealed further: “His family, his father, cannot afford the bill. We don’t have the financial strength to take care of the bill, and he has been lying in that bed in pain. We are helpless.

“Please, we are appealing to all well-meaning Nigerians to save Reuben’s life. He is an intelligent and smart boy who dreams of becoming an engineer; help us save him.

“We have applied all necessary means to save his life, but  it seems abortive. We’re left with a public appeal to save him.”
Reuben’s family could be reached on  08130477866, while the  account details are : Name: Reuben Azazi,  UBA Account Number: 2303391106.