After years of hard work, Kaggwa cannot afford to treat his ear tumour
Jan 11, 2009
I Am staring death in the eye because I cannot afford healthcare after more than half the years of my life in national service,†Freddie Kaggwa says. The 63-year-old retired civil servant and father of five was recently diagnosed with acoustic neurimona
By Irene Nabusoba
I Am staring death in the eye because I cannot afford healthcare after more than half the years of my life in national service,†Freddie Kaggwa says. The 63-year-old retired civil servant and father of five was recently diagnosed with acoustic neurimona, a tumour which develops on the nerves near the inner ear.
Kaggwa walks with an imbalanced gait, like an imitation of a robot in motion. The left side of his body is slowly dying away because of the tumour. “I have lost balance on my left side. My left leg went limp until a reflexologist manipulated my nerves to enable me move.
I cannot chew on the left side and I cannot see or hear from my left eye and ear,†he says.
Saliva constantly forms at the corners of his mouth as he talks. “It comes involuntarily. The left side of my mouth is getting sloppy,†he discloses while attempting to wipe it away with a handkerchief.
Clad in a well-ironed, long-sleeved white shirt with brown stripes and a matching pair of Khaki trousers, Kaggwa is, in every sense, organised — a habit he picked up while in the Police force, I imagine.
He commands respect especially when he starts to talk. Bearing an old briefcase, Kaggwa displays a batch of medical documents as he narrates his ordeal. It all started with sneezing and an itching nose in 1966 while he was a student at St. Henry’s Kitovu.
The school sent him to Mulago Hospital’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department where he was diagnosed with rhinosinusitis (sinuses).
“I was treated and the condition was contained,†he reveals. “Thereafter, I worked as the deputy general manager for a paint manufacturing company,†he narrates.
“I believe my condition worsened because of the constant exposure to smells and fumes. My doctor advised me to quit. He even helped draft a letter for me to my boss so I could get some compensation,†he explains.
In 2006, Kaggwa started experiencing hearing-loss, weak memory, constant headaches and loss of sight and balance. At Mulago, a CT scan revealed a brain tumour.
A recommendation letter for financial assistance, signed by Dr. Joel Kiryabwire, a neuro surgeon at Mulago reads: “The condition calls for six hours of surgery. We are referring him to India for removal of this tumour as it is a difficult surgery to perform here.â€
A neuro surgeon at K.K Hospital in India has agreed to do it, but Kaggwa needs about $8000, (about sh15m). With a caretaker, this pushes the costs to about sh20m. “I am jobless. I had some savings which I used to build my house and send my children to school. I am now penniless,†he says.
“I have approached the Rotary Club and my former employers who say they are willing to help me, but they have a big number of similar applications,†he adds.
Kaggwa is now considering selling his house in Nyanama, off Entebbe Road. “I have no other option even though the pain of making my family homeless is unbearable,†he says, giving in to emotion. “I have served my country. I just wish to see my children grow. I need this operation.
“Unfortunately, the condition is becoming more complicated as time passes by. The heart is becoming defective because of the tumour. I have been treated and the doctors say I am ready for the operation,†he says.
Kaggwa is hanging on by a thread. He is desperate and lives with a constant irritating noise in his head because of the tumour.
He appeals to Good Samaritans to deposit any financial assistance on his Savings Account N0. 3020063852, Centenary Rural Development Bank Entebbe Road.
Facts about acoustic neurinoma
Dr. Kiryabwire says acoustic neurinoma results from an overproduction of small cells that wrap around the nerve fibres.
When the growth is excessive, the cells press against the hearing and balance nerves, causing gradual hearing loss, ringing in the ears and dizziness.
If the tumour becomes large, it can cause partial paralysis and become life-threatening.
Types
Kiryabwire says there are two types of acoustic neurinomas: unilateral and bilateral. Unilateral acoustic neurinomas affect only one ear. Symptoms usually occur between the ages of 30 and 60.
Bilateral acoustic neurinomas affect both ears and are hereditary.
“Affected individuals have a 50% chance of passing this disorder on to their children,†Kiryabwire says.
Individuals with this type of tumour usually develop symptoms in their teens or early adulthood and are more likely to go deaf.
Patients may also develop tumours on other nerves associated with swallowing, speech, eye and facial movement and facial sensation.
Diagnosis
An internet site on health, www.mayoclinic.com says early diagnosis of an acoustic neurinoma is key to preventing serious consequences.
The site recommends that once the symptoms appear, a thorough ear examination and hearing test are essential for proper diagnosis.
Treatment
If an acoustic neurinoma is surgically removed when it is still small, hearing may be preserved and symptoms may go away. As the tumour grows larger, surgical removal is often more complicated because it may become firmly attached to the nerves.
Kiryabwire regrets that Uganda does not have the capacity to treat the condition.“It’s a complex operation. We do not have the necessary equipment to do it. Our operational capacity is improving though. It is promising, he says.
I Am staring death in the eye because I cannot afford healthcare after more than half the years of my life in national service,†Freddie Kaggwa says. The 63-year-old retired civil servant and father of five was recently diagnosed with acoustic neurimona, a tumour which develops on the nerves near the inner ear.
Kaggwa walks with an imbalanced gait, like an imitation of a robot in motion. The left side of his body is slowly dying away because of the tumour. “I have lost balance on my left side. My left leg went limp until a reflexologist manipulated my nerves to enable me move.
I cannot chew on the left side and I cannot see or hear from my left eye and ear,†he says.
Saliva constantly forms at the corners of his mouth as he talks. “It comes involuntarily. The left side of my mouth is getting sloppy,†he discloses while attempting to wipe it away with a handkerchief.
Clad in a well-ironed, long-sleeved white shirt with brown stripes and a matching pair of Khaki trousers, Kaggwa is, in every sense, organised — a habit he picked up while in the Police force, I imagine.
He commands respect especially when he starts to talk. Bearing an old briefcase, Kaggwa displays a batch of medical documents as he narrates his ordeal. It all started with sneezing and an itching nose in 1966 while he was a student at St. Henry’s Kitovu.
The school sent him to Mulago Hospital’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) department where he was diagnosed with rhinosinusitis (sinuses).
“I was treated and the condition was contained,†he reveals. “Thereafter, I worked as the deputy general manager for a paint manufacturing company,†he narrates.
“I believe my condition worsened because of the constant exposure to smells and fumes. My doctor advised me to quit. He even helped draft a letter for me to my boss so I could get some compensation,†he explains.
In 2006, Kaggwa started experiencing hearing-loss, weak memory, constant headaches and loss of sight and balance. At Mulago, a CT scan revealed a brain tumour.
A recommendation letter for financial assistance, signed by Dr. Joel Kiryabwire, a neuro surgeon at Mulago reads: “The condition calls for six hours of surgery. We are referring him to India for removal of this tumour as it is a difficult surgery to perform here.â€
A neuro surgeon at K.K Hospital in India has agreed to do it, but Kaggwa needs about $8000, (about sh15m). With a caretaker, this pushes the costs to about sh20m. “I am jobless. I had some savings which I used to build my house and send my children to school. I am now penniless,†he says.
“I have approached the Rotary Club and my former employers who say they are willing to help me, but they have a big number of similar applications,†he adds.
Kaggwa is now considering selling his house in Nyanama, off Entebbe Road. “I have no other option even though the pain of making my family homeless is unbearable,†he says, giving in to emotion. “I have served my country. I just wish to see my children grow. I need this operation.
“Unfortunately, the condition is becoming more complicated as time passes by. The heart is becoming defective because of the tumour. I have been treated and the doctors say I am ready for the operation,†he says.
Kaggwa is hanging on by a thread. He is desperate and lives with a constant irritating noise in his head because of the tumour.
He appeals to Good Samaritans to deposit any financial assistance on his Savings Account N0. 3020063852, Centenary Rural Development Bank Entebbe Road.
Facts about acoustic neurinoma
Dr. Kiryabwire says acoustic neurinoma results from an overproduction of small cells that wrap around the nerve fibres.
When the growth is excessive, the cells press against the hearing and balance nerves, causing gradual hearing loss, ringing in the ears and dizziness.
If the tumour becomes large, it can cause partial paralysis and become life-threatening.
Types
Kiryabwire says there are two types of acoustic neurinomas: unilateral and bilateral. Unilateral acoustic neurinomas affect only one ear. Symptoms usually occur between the ages of 30 and 60.
Bilateral acoustic neurinomas affect both ears and are hereditary.
“Affected individuals have a 50% chance of passing this disorder on to their children,†Kiryabwire says.
Individuals with this type of tumour usually develop symptoms in their teens or early adulthood and are more likely to go deaf.
Patients may also develop tumours on other nerves associated with swallowing, speech, eye and facial movement and facial sensation.
Diagnosis
An internet site on health, www.mayoclinic.com says early diagnosis of an acoustic neurinoma is key to preventing serious consequences.
The site recommends that once the symptoms appear, a thorough ear examination and hearing test are essential for proper diagnosis.
Treatment
If an acoustic neurinoma is surgically removed when it is still small, hearing may be preserved and symptoms may go away. As the tumour grows larger, surgical removal is often more complicated because it may become firmly attached to the nerves.
Kiryabwire regrets that Uganda does not have the capacity to treat the condition.“It’s a complex operation. We do not have the necessary equipment to do it. Our operational capacity is improving though. It is promising, he says.