13-year Old Award Winning Waxophonist, Sodeinde Goes Blind in Ekiti

A young damsel, 13-year old Preciuos Oluwatamilore Sodeinde, has been declared partially blind by doctors at both the Afe Babalola Multi-purpose Hospital and the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital.

More tragic about Oluwatamilore’s travail is that the doctors have warned that she would soon lose her sight totally if an eye surgical operation is not urgently carried out on her.

Worsening the poor but talented girl’s woes is another fact that her parents cannot afford to pay the N2million demanded for her eye surgery.

This is because her father, Gbenga Sodeinde, is a freelance Reporter with Daily Times newspapers while her mother, Mrs. Sodeinde Omolara, is an unemployed graduate.

Young Oluwatamilore came into limelight a few years ago when she won in a contest as a saxophonist after completing a free study at the Crysttal School of Music in Ado-Ekiti. Since then, she has been singled out for greatness as everyone who came her way celebrated her for the rare gift.

Stage named  Pre-sax, Oluwatamilore who is a student of Greater Tommorow secondary school, Ado-Ekiti, has thrilled many during her several presentations at ocassions she has been invited to perform, but that may no longer happen as she is currently down in spirit and soul with the tragic development.

Teary eyed Mrs. Sodeinde while narrating her daughter’s ordeal, to the Reporter in their house during the weekend, has appealed to well meaning Nigerians, and anyone so touched around the world, particularly the Ekiti State first couple, Dr. and Mrs. Kayode Fayemi and Bisi Fayemi to come to Oluwatamilore’s aide.

She recalled fond memories that the Sodeinde family had had with the amiable first couple in past, saying both Dr. and Mrs. Fayemi had christened the poor girl, Oluwatamilore when they were both special guests of honour at her christening some thirteen years ago.

Her words: “Some months ago, Oluwatamilore has been complaining of some pain about her eye and could not stay for long in the sun or any bright environment. I took her to a specialist who gave her some medication and recommended an eye glasses for her.

” An auntie of mine advised that I took her for some test at the Teaching Hospital and there they found that she has some traces of gluacoma in her left eye. She was placed on some drugs and she appeared to be doing well. They did series of tests for her at the hospital and prescribed other drugs and asked us to discontinue the use of the former drugs.

” She complained again about the eye while she was doing her assignment last Sunday

She also complained of having fever while she was doing her school assignment. I gave her some malaria drugs and she took them and slept off. On Monday morning, her condition worsened and she said she could not go to school and on Tuesday when she complained about the eyes again, l quickly took her to the Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti. It was there they diagonized that her left eye could not see again. I was so devastated as the doctors started calling on one another to attend to her case.  Later, they told us that the left eye was no longer seeing and that they could not ascertain what caused it. They then recommended an MRI test for her in Afe Babalola Muilti-purpose Hospital and we went for the test. We did that MRI test for N30,000. We had to borrow the money as we could not raise it on our own.

” I took the results of the MRI test back to the Teaching Hospital and on studying it , the doctors said it was the same gluacoma infection and that while it has made the left eye not to see again, it was already affecting the second eye and that our daughter may go totally blind any time soon if we don’t make her undergo a medical eye surgery.

” We then asked the doctor how much the eye surgery would cost?. He said we should first of all get ready N500,000 to start the treatment, adding that the money is likely to be more than that. Since then, we have been running here and there for assistance. We need financial assistance from good hearted people all over the world and in Nigeria in particular.

“We are Calling on Nigerians to kindly assist our daughter so she would not go totally blind. We pray that God will bless them mightily in Jesus name, amen,” she appealed and gave her details as

Sodeinde olajumoke omolara —–0198929650 GTB, savings account. Her contact number is also 08061282853.