Sonia Ekweremadu appeals to public for kidney donation

Sonia Ekweremadu, the ailing daughter of Ike Ekweremadu former deputy senate president, is pleading to members of the public to help donate a kidney to her.

Sonia, a University of Coventry graduate in media and communications, chronicled her suffering on Instagram under the handle @soniaekw. She said she left her postgraduate program after learning she had a rare kidney ailment.

The 25-year- old has been battling with a rare kidney disease since 2019 has also been on dialysis since then. The disease caused her to put her education on hold.

In a statement titled ‘Appeal for Kidney Donation by Sonia Ekweremadu’, she wrote: ‘‘I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life. I dropped out of my postgraduate studies at the University of Newcastle in 2019 when I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, FSGS Nephrotic Syndrome.

“My family has battled to save my life and has taken me to various hospitals but the illness persisted and kept degenerating. 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 the 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 matters for me and my family.

Read also: Court reschedules Ekweremadu’s trial for May 2023

“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. In the circumstance above, I am appealing to anybody whom it may please to assist me willingly with a kidney donation in the name of God.”

Sonia, also noted that members of her family were willing to stand as donors for her but because of the peculiarity of the disease which a comprehensive medical examination had revealed as genetic she was advised by doctors against such donations as the illness is likely to reoccur.

“In the time that my father has been incarcerated, he has been diagnosed with acute kidney damage. Anybody that is moved by this appeal and wishes to donate his or her kidney to me may send an email to [email protected] and include his or her name, phone number, email address and place of residence, she said.

“Please, note that under the laws of England and Wales, 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 challenges of kidney disease, upon my full recovery. Thank you and God bless you.”