A reprieve came the way of Joy Micheal, a victim of electrocution at the weekend when an Uyo-based Rotary Club, District 9145, donated a motorised wheelchair to ease her movement.
Miss Michael survived an electrocution which took the lives of 19 other victims in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital in 2012.
The victims were returning from Itam Primary School, Uyo, after a heavy downpour and stepped on a live electricity cable.
Miss Joy was rushed to University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) for treatment and was later amputated.
Her near hopeless situation drew the attention of the 33rd President of Rotary Club of Uyo, Mercy Asuquo.
Mrs. Asuquo lamented in her valedictory speech which was obtained by NEXT EDITION about how Miss Joy’s two legs were amputated as a result of the injuries she sustained.
“When I took over as 33rd President of District 9142, Joy had already been amputated. The two legs had already been amputated, her case required humanitarian assistance “.
“On my installation day, I started planning on how to give her legs prosthesis. I started by raising money for that. The chairman of my installation ceremony, Dr. Domingo Inyang donated N500,000 towards her medical bills.”
Mrs. Asuquo said when she attended the West Africa Welfare Fair, she presented Miss Joy’s case as her project where foreign partners raised $3,350 to give her artificial legs.
“As we tried to give her legs, we discovered that the level of amputation was very bad another issue was that since she was still growing if you give her limbs now she would definitely outgrow them which means we have to replace them frequently and they are very expensive,” she continued.
“We decided to hold on to the production of the limbs. We decided to give her motorized wheel chair until she gets to maturity.”
The District’s 34th President, Francis Inyang, on his installation, assured that he was going to continue with the provision of humanitarian services to little Joy.
He disclosed that he was already wooing public spirited persons to come to her aid, adding the club would require $10,000 to procure prosthesis for her.
“I am already talking to a doctor in South Africa who is going to do the prosthesis for Joy. The problem now is that she is still growing. Another problem is that the amputation was very high. We have raised some money for her mother to start a trade.
Speaking, Joy’s mother, Grace Michael, thanked the Rotary Club for the magnanimity and prayed God to reward the members.
She said, “I was at home that fateful day expecting my daughter back from school when I had a distress call that my daughter had been electrocuted.
“From that day, life has never been the same. That day marked the beginning of my endless tears. Tears for her 19 friends who died beside my daughter and tears that my situation will turn me to a beggar.
“I thank Rotary Club for giving me so much assistance. I don’t know how the medical bills were paid. The only thing I can remember is that my daughter’s pictures were taken while she was on the sick bed and taken aroundbus stops, market places and traffic in Uyo where they solicited for funds.
“My situation was helpless because as far as my daughter is disabled I am also disabled. She cannot go to the toilet on her own she cannot do anything apart from crying and praying.
“I am sure money sourced from bus stops was the money used to pay some of her medical bills. Joy was born prematurely in 2007. My husband died last year out of frustration” she lamented amid tears.
