By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Naabulug (NE/R), Oct. 25, GNA – Madam Nanguur Konlan, a visually impaired mother of four in the Bunkpruguru-Nakpanduri District of the North East Region, has appealed to benevolent organisations and philanthropists to go to her aid.
Two of her sons are also gradually losing their sights, and none of her children, who are of school age, have been enrolled in school.
They are 10 months, seven years, nine years and 11 years old.
The two are believed to be suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic group of rare eye disease that affects the retina, a light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye, making the cells to break down slowly overtime, resulting in vision loss.
Madam Konlan said she was born blind to a visually impaired mother and three of her other siblings also developed eye problems growing up, adding that she was afraid the same may happen to her children.
“Ours is a family of blind people, I was born to a visually impaired mother, I have three other siblings, two males and a female, they were fine from birth, but they all developed eye problems in their late twenties,” she said.
“I wonder what my family has done to deserve this terrible punishment, my children are young, and it is sad they hear insults like, you are children from a cursed lineage, you will end up like your mother.”
Madam Konlan said her family survived on the efforts of her 11-year-old Yennuyah, a bread winner, who collected left over feed from the grinding mill and sold firewood for their survival daily.
She said apart from going hungry for some days, their mud room also leaked, and they were compelled to stand at midnight on rainy days.
“My husband does not care about me or my children, all he does is to roam from one funeral to the other to drink alcohol and only comes to me when he wants to satisfy himself sexually and I don’t have the strength to resist him,” she lamented.
She said her father gave her out for marriage with the notion that she could not depend on others forever and it was important she gave birth to her own children to take care of her.
Mr Doopak Duut, the husband, said his marriage to her was just a favour to her father.
”I did Nanguur father’s a favour when he pleaded with me to make her a mother, which l agreed but I didn’t expect she will give birth to blind children. I am a poor farmer with little support for myself, and I can’t offer any help to her,” he said.
GNA