A chest x-ray at the Federal Medical Center, Lokoja, Kogi State, due to sudden cough, led to the discovery of a hole in the heart known in medical parlance as Tetralogy or Fallot of one-year-old Chubiyoojo Joshua Emmanuel whose parents are teachers.
Great fear gripped the mother Mrs. Mabe Aruwa, at the exposure of the son’s terrible case, who was unambiguously told that the only hope of survival for Emmanuel was in an open-heart surgery that would require a trip to New Delhi.
The father, Emmanuel Unenwojo Aruwa, also became distraught on hearing the diagnosis of the son’s ailment, and his heart groaned as he looked around to see where succour would come from, and, most importantly, what lies in wait in the future for little Chubiyo, his second son.
The father, who was surprised at the development of his son’s case when he was taken to National Hospital Abuja after referral when he was three years old, approached Kanu Foundation and others without success.
He was amazed at the helpless situation of his son ntill help came from the Governor of Kogi State, Captian Idris Wada, through the CEDO Foundation.
Though it was not a Christian revival ground but a political gathering at the Dr. Stephen Achema Handball Stadium in Idah, the people’s hearts wept for the emotion-laden testimony of Mr and Mrs Aruwa who went on their knees to express gratitude to the Governor for delivering their child from the claws of death.
“We are on our knees to thank you for what God has used you to do through Evangelist Yakubu Okattai in an impossible channel. If not for God, I wouldn’t have been able to reach the Governor of the State.”
“It is the Good Lord that will bless you for saving the life of my child in an open-heart surgery. We were told it was a very intricate issue but by the grace of God my son is doing well today in school among his peers.”
According to Aruwa who spoke to The Guardian at the event
“We started observing this challenge when our son was one year old when we went to the hospital. Later we had to go to the Federal Medical Center, Lokoja from where we were referred to the National Hospital, Abuja. It was there we were told our son had what they call Tetralogy, a hole in the heart that needed open-heart surgery.”
“But we thank God for the help from CEDO Ministry which is Captain and Mrs Okhattai ministry that linked us to the state governor who used his connection as a former pilot and Okhattai being a former colleague pilot.”
He explained further that through the contact, they got the connection to travel to New Delhi and the operation was successful and they returned in March last year. The governor, through the foundation, footed the bills.
The situation for the mother was better imagined than experienced. She said for a mother to see her second son being eaten away by a strange sickness was very heart rendering. However, she said she never lost faith in God.
Chubiyo is five years old and the surgery was carried out at the age of three plus.
On the political gains that his testimony may elicit for the Governor as a politician the couple said: “We don’t see it as politics, God decided to use him to save the life of a boy.”
For other parents experiencing similar challenges they prayed that God would raise their own helper who will stand in for them.
