Veteran Nigerian songstress Stella Monye has made a heartfelt and tearful public appeal for financial help to save the life of her ailing son, Ibrahim, who has been battling severe health complications for over two decades.
A Mother's Desperate Plea
In an emotional revelation, the Oko mi ye crooner voiced her deepest fears. "Am I going to watch my son die on the bed? His tummy is swollen. This scares me a lot," she cried. With her resources completely exhausted, she directly appealed to the public. "I'm stretched already. Money is not coming from anywhere. I want Nigerians to help me. I want them to see me through," Stella said, her voice laden with emotion.
She connected her son's survival to her own ability to continue her artistic career. "My son must be alive. I can still work. I can still do my music, but my son has to be alive for that creativity to come back," the artiste stated, highlighting the personal toll of the prolonged crisis.
The Tragic Accident and a 24-Year Medical Journey
The ordeal began in 1999 when nine-year-old Ibrahim suffered a devastating accident. He fell from a scaffold while trying to adjust an overhead water tank, severely damaging his left kidney, bladder, and urethra. The fall caused him to slip onto a sharp object that lacerated his urethra.
What was initially thought to be a minor injury spiraled into a lifelong medical nightmare. Initial treatments at Ikeja General Hospital were followed by relapses, leading to a grueling series of surgeries across multiple countries. Unsuccessful procedures in Nigeria forced the family to seek help internationally, with medical journeys to India, Georgia, and the United States.
Stella Monye has been her son's primary caregiver since the incident, assisting him with eating, walking, and personal hygiene. Ibrahim, who lost his father in the same year as the accident, is now permanently on a catheter and lives in constant pain.
Fundraising Efforts and Setbacks
The financial and logistical burden has been immense. The family has missed critical medical appointments due to funding challenges. "We have missed three appointments. Now that we have kept away, things have started going wrong," Stella explained, noting that her son complains of his bladder shifting, a sign of inadequate recent examination.
Past fundraising efforts have seen limited success:
- In 2001, a benefit concert was held at Excellence Hotel in Ogba, Lagos, featuring stars like King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (KWAM 1). The then-first lady of Lagos State, Oluremi Tinubu, was a special guest. However, the proceeds were insufficient for overseas treatment.
- Another campaign in 2014, supported by artists like K1, Daddy Showkey, Onyeka Onwenu, Lagbaja, and Pasuma, had to be abandoned when it was discovered that individuals were misappropriating funds meant for Ibrahim's care.
Stella lamented the quality of some past interventions: "All the surgeries done were either not well done or the surgeons didn't have the experience to handle such a surgery." She described the complexity of repairing a severely damaged urethra, which involves muscle tissue, not just skin.
Glimmer of Hope in New York and the Final Hurdle
The most promising treatment has come from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, USA, where the family has been shuttling since 2018. Surgeons there have undertaken a complex reconstructive procedure, using tissues from Ibrahim's intestines, thighs, and legs. "Something people couldn't do for 20 years, the guy was able to put the urethra together," Stella shared.
However, the doctor warned that the process would be gradual and expensive. The first surgery alone cost $28,000, excluding logistics and accommodation. The family is now financially stranded. "Since 2018, we have been going to New York and coming until we got stuck. We didn't have money to do anything again," she confessed, dismissing suggestions of finding menial work abroad to fund the surgeries as unrealistic.
Stella Monye's final appeal is a direct call for collective assistance: "And I have not really engaged in any money-making ventures that could fund such a procedure. I need everybody's financial assistance now to get this done." Her story remains a poignant testament to a mother's enduring love and the crushing weight of medical costs.
