By Yussif Ibrahim
Obuasi (Ash), Jan. 15, GNA – The Fifty 50 Club, an Obuasi-based non-profit association, has donated GHC10,000 to support the medical procedure for an eight-year-old boy suffering from encephalitis.
Encephalitis is a rare case of a congenital disorder that causes the skull to grow abnormally large and heavy.
The condition affects the vision, hearing, speech, and mobility of patients and puts them at risk of serious complications such as infections, seizures, and brain damage.
Ms Hannah Amponsah, the teacher of the boy, Stephen Aboagye, said the condition had impacted his sense of vision and hearing, thereby affecting his academic performance.
His parents struggled to find the appropriate medical treatment for him, prompting her to seek help from the Fifty-50 Club, she said.
Master Aboagye was one of three beneficiaries who were supported by the Club at its 12th donation event.
The other two were Clifford Wilson and David Ababio Awuni, who received GHC 9,200 and GHC 8,400, respectively, to facilitate their education at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Stephen was admitted to the hospital with a complaint of a progressive mass in the parietooccipital region of his head.
The mass had been present since birth but had increased in size and caused headaches and visual disturbances in the past few months.
An MRI scan revealed a large, well-defined, cystic lesion with a solid component and enhancement after contrast administration.
The differential diagnosis included congenital tumors, vascular malformations, and infectious or inflammatory processes.
Mr Jacob Edmund-Acquah, the President of the Club, said it decided to step in with the GhC10, 000.00 to take care of the medical expenses.
“We are expecting the money to support the medical procedures involved.
It is our wish that he goes through the processes smoothly to enable him to live a normal life,” he noted.
He affirmed the Club’s resolve to continue to make an impact in the lives of people, stressing that a survey to ascertain the impact of the plethora of support it had rendered to people since July 2020 had been launched.
The feedback, he said, had been very positive, adding that the Club was scheduled to make additional donations to individuals and/or institutions this year.
Founded in July 2020, the Fifty 50 Club has raised GHS 360,000 so far and made several donations over the past three and half years including supporting community clinics with medical equipment and supplies and providing scholarships to brilliant but needy students.
The Club is made up of employees of AngloGold Ashanti and its subsidiaries, as well as employees of other corporate organisations across the country and abroad.
The more than 250 members make monthly contributions to support its objectives.
GNA