Spinal cord injury: Baffour’s story – GhanaWeb

General News of Monday, 31 July 2017

Source: Arthur Krampah

Spinal cord injury renders the patient indisposed.

For a Ghanaian who is currently indisposed with no degree certification (as I couldnt graduate due to the incident), producing 1.4 billion old Ghana Cedis was like flying to the moon.

My family (my mum especially) having spent over 2 billion old cedis on my treatment, they did their best to gather the said $32, 000 to fund my bills. Their efforts were like a grain of sand at the beach. The more they tried, the more we realized how hopeless it is to produce the money. Luckily, one of my friends from Adisadel College proposed that I come out to the public through the Media, hoping that my fellow countrymen or a Good Samaritan will locate us and come to our aid.

A friend indeed

Through the support of my friend and friends, I was able to use the platforms of some broadcasting companies in the country like the Daily Graphic, TV3 , TV Africa, Coastal TV and Adom TV in to tell the world my story, appeal for funds and assistance. However, the feedback was not as I thought initially.

My friends went the extra mile by putting a petition before my year group at Adisadel College (2001 year group) to help one of their own. They replied positively by gathering funds for me. However, there was a large margin left that needed to be covered.

Thereafter, another friend helped me develop my story (which was published on Facebook) with pictures of my state of being as well as my contact and the necessary monetary accounts. We also added a snapshot of the Daily Graphic publication on my story to back the article published on Facebook (it is still on my Timeline).

The Article that was Published on the Daily Graphic in 2015

The road to recovery

One lecturer at the University of Cape Coast together with some of the students on campus came together to establish a project named BAFFOUR MUST WALK abbreviated BMW raised funds and convinced the student representative council of UCC to help, which they did.

Other anonymous individuals also helped and with the collaborative support of all the sources mentioned above, I was able to take my first trip to India for treatment. In India, I was treated at the NEUROGEN BRAIN AND SPINE INSTITUTE (i.e. STEM ASIA HOSPITAL AND RESEARCH CENTRE) in the third month of the year 2016.

After I had undergone a successful treatment, I was asked to further the treatment in China as what happened in India was the first phase of the required treatment. The treatment was to be done at the STEM CELL DEPARTMENT OF THE GENERAL HOSPITAL of the PEOPLES ARMED POLICE FORCE.

Luckily, I was able to gather funds for the trip a year after (March, 2017) for the next treatment at the hospital and later at the GENERAL HOSPITAL OF GUANGZHOU MILITARY COMMAND in Guangzhou China, after a recommendation from the Stem Cell Hospital had been made. The treatments in China was aimed at improving on what the Indians did, that is help restore my lower limbs functions, sense of touch, my urine and bowel control. The treatment in Guangzhou also went well by Gods grace with no implications whatsoever.

The final hurdle

After the treatment, a tests was run to confirm that I was eligible next treatment which was requirement from a Spinal Cord Injured Rehabilitation Center in USA as the Chinese referred me there. The results came out positive, ready for the final treatment.

The result of my test were mailed to a spinal cord injured rehabilitation center in the United States of America called NextStep Orlando in Orlando Florida USA to confirm if I was eligible for the final treatments. I received a personal email from NextStep Orlando and the content of the email was that I was eligible for the treatments (to undergo the treatments) and the bill for the treatments. The final treatment is Intensive Physiotherapy which consists of Locomotor Training, Functional Electronic Simulation Therapy, Balance Training, and Weight Bearing Training among the lot.

The machine for LOCOMOTOR TRAINNING

An appeal for funds

The bill for the final treatment is budgeted $19,200 (GH83,520 or 835 million old Ghana Cedis). I will like to use this platform on Adbays.com to appeal to His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Former Presidents - John Mahama, John Agyekum Kuffour and Jerry John Rawlings and the government of Ghana for support, also support from churches, companies, NGO's and individuals.

Moreover, it is quite tragic that patients going through my condition are not administered with the best treatments (as I discovered from the doctors in China and India) as well as the lack of the resources and facilities to help spinal cord injured patients undergo treatment in our hospitals and rehabilitation centers. I humbly request the president to take a bold step to help people with spinal cord injuries and establish facilities equipped with the necessary equipments and personnel to help us in our treatment and rehabilitation. On my own have started creating awareness on spinal cord injury through a foundation am trying to fully establish,BAFFOUR AWUAH TABURY SPINAL CORD INJURY FOUNDATION (BATSCIF) which is on Facebook and hoping to get other platforms to talk about it.

I need the help of my brothers and sisters once again as well as youre my beacon of hope. Please help a brother walk on his feet again with the little you can give. Nothing is too small and little drops of water makes a mighty ocean. Below is the list of my contact details and monetary donation accounts;

CONTACT: O543791384

FACEBOOK ACCOUNT: Baffour Awura Tabury

MTN MOBILE MONEY NUMBER: O543791384

GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK, TAKORADI MAIN BRANCH, ACCOUNT NUMBER: 4011060002654

BANK ACCOUNT NAME: BAFFOUR AWUAH TABURY

PayPal ACCOUNT: [emailprotected]

GOFUNDME ACCOUNT: http://www.gofundme.com/btabury

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Spinal cord injury: Baffour's story - GhanaWeb