Project Alert Issues over N1.383m for Baby Michael’s Facial Hemangioma

Rebecca Ejifoma

(Left) Effah-Chukwuma handing over the cheque for the surgery to baby Michael's aunt, Ezeanyeji and (Right) LTV representative, 

Rescuers of baby Michael Alvez – Project Alert on Violence against Women, Kate Henshaw, Temitope Oluwagbemi and Aramide Kasunmu – have issued a cheque of N1.383,500 to the baby’s family for the immediate surgery of the boy’s facial hemangioma at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

This exercise was done at a media parley held in Lagos where families of the baby and the rescuers finalised plans for the interest of the child.

According to the Executive Director, Project Alert, Mrs. Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, the issued cheque is following the estimates on the cost of surgery for the three years old baby as the foundation received from the baby’s aunt – Syndi Ezeanyeji – as received from LUTH.

The estimate includes: immediate operation (65,000 x 8) N52,000; To and feeding for two weeks x 8 cost N135,600; tentative cost for drugs cost N377,400; radiological investigation cost N42,500; laboratory investigation N48,000; miscellaneous items not routinely provided by the Hospital cost N160,000 and contingency cost N100,000. That totals N1,383,500.


Reminiscing what led to the issuing of the cheque after the rescuers had decided to refund to all donors 50 per cent of their contributions, Effah-Chukwuma said: “We had challenging times with the family as we partnered Lagos  State Government Social Welfare Department to ensure Michael is well catered for medically and socially.”

She continued, however, that the challenge culminated in the family at a meeting in Alausa with the Welfare officials, stating that they no longer wanted the medical assistance. “They also said they would cater for his social and medical needs on their own, even though the mother had abandoned the child. They didn’t only said this, but they also signed a document to that effect.”

Sadly, this action of the family resulted in the commencement of refund of cash donations (50% - 100%) to all who donated. “We decided to do a refund because the money was raised to cater for the child medically. But the family had turned the assistance down. We began the refund in April. We made a few refunds to those who demanded.”

The ED expressed further that but for the intervention of LTV through its reporter, Solomon Gbadebo. “I commend the station and the reporter for resolving and following up on both the family and the rescuers.”

Meanwhile, Ezeanyeji – who represented the family – apologised for the insults and abuse rained on the rescuers in the course of helping baby Michael his nephew. “I use this opportunity to apologise to Mrs. Kate Henshaw and Madam Josephine and the others for my shortcomings and misbehavior over Michael’s case.”