‘I am dying’ – Mother with eye tumour begs for GHC13,000 to undergo surgery

A 38-year-old victim of an eye tumour has sent an urgent appeal to the general public to enable her to raise money for surgery at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Petty trader Faustina Kwakye, said she needs GHC23,000 to undergo the  operation, but has managed to raise only 10,000 of the amount, leaving a shortage of 13,000 Cedis.

Theghanareports.com first published her plight on August 19, 2020,

The petty trader said the report led to donations amounting to a little over GHC10,000.

She told theghanareport.com that her surgery date has been rescheduled, as she was unable to raise the full amount required.

“I am praying to God to touch the hearts of people to help me, I am suffering,” she said.

Faustina’s head is partly bandaged in a white scarf. It was neatly done.

And that’s how her family members can walk about her at home without puking, or twitching their faces at her disfigurement due to the disease.

But at least once a day, sometimes several times a day, it comes off.

A reddish mishmash of raw flesh hangs out of her eye socket and in the middle of this eyesore is her eyeball, sitting lamely out of joint.

It is a hideous sight and theghanareport.com‘s cameras found it too unpleasant for readers.

Faustina Kwakye relocated from Agona Swedru to join her husband in Kasoa Kakraba where they are raising their five and two-year-old sons.

Everything seemed normal for the family until one morning when Faustina was feeding her son and his head accidentally hit her right eye.

“It started about a year ago, I was feeding my last child and he was struggling with me so accidentally his head hit my eyes,” she said.

Faustina’s right eye has swollen out looking like an egg with a circle on it.

The 38-year-old tabletop seller said she applied ointment on her eyes and went about her duties.

For over a week, the pain wouldn’t go so she visited the hospital.

“I went to the Our Lady of Grace Hospital in Asikuma. There, I was told to take a scan and it cost GHC700, I didn’t have the money so I came home and continued with the ointment treatment”

“So, after four months, my church helped me raise the money and I went to take the scan and that was when they told me there was a cancerous tumor in my head causing my eye to swell”

“That was when I began the treatment at Korle Bu, I had to go to Korle Bu four times a week, go for Neuro clinic and then eye clinic. Within a week I would buy medicine like GHC300, so I stopped” she narrated.

Her husband, a taxi driver, has had to babysit for her and their two sons.

“It was difficult for me and because of my situation, my husband is the only one taking care of everything… we virtually live on the benevolence of people”

After months of enduring the pain and trying other alternative medication, Faustina got a bill for Korle Bu.

“So finally, Korle Bu gave me GHC23,000 as the bill for my surgery and since then I have not been myself…. I told the doctor that even if he gives me 10years I cannot raise the amount of money” she said amidst tears.

Faustina walks around with a scarf tied across her head covering her right eyes since the size of her eyeball is too big to hide under a spectacle.

“Initially I could wear spectacles and go out because I thought it was just a painful eyeball but it got swollen so big that it became difficult to go out”

The mother of two said she battled suicidal thoughts when rumors started roping in that she has been cursed.

“…But for my husband I would have been dead, especially when people began to spread rumours, saying I was cursed.”

“Even my children were afraid of me so I sent them to my sister’s place,” she said

According to Faustina, she has had to sleep on her left side for the past six months because of the pain in her swollen eye.

“It’s been over six months, I sleep on my left side, I can’t sleep on my right side”

Drenched in tears, the 38-year-old mother-of-two pleaded for support.

“The pain I am going through is indescribable. It is like there is a mining site inside my head… I am pleading to Ghanaians to help me because I am losing my other eye” she pleaded.

Anyone who wishes to support Faustina should reach out to The Ghana Report Foundation on 030 296 5516, 054 8426 252 or info@theghanareport.com