‘God Has Inflicted A Permanent Wound On My Entire Life’

“God has inflicted a permanent wound on my entire life. There is absolutely no point in keeping me alive; Most times I think of taking away my life”.

With those words, Mrs Paulina Utime burst into uncountable tears, overwhelmed by an agony of over ten years she has had to carry like a a cross, and a life she could described like near hell.

The injury she talks about, is an agonizing spinal cord injury that has left her only son, 27 year old, Theodore Utime paralysed, and thereby literarily lumped in one location.

Truly, his entire life has taken an ugly turn. Virtually everything he does is via a second party support, but worse, is that the young man who is supposed to be an income earner for his family, has become the main drain pipe. He has remained incapacitated for those long years, though breeding and seeing, but unable to move about.

As a matter of fact, it is not just financial resources that he is draining, but also the basic happiness that the family ought to have.

In an interaction with Linus Oota of the Nation Utime, a native of Mararaban Danko, Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, told all that happened:

 “In 2010 when this happened to me, I was 18 years old; now I’m 27. I was in JSS2 then and I have not been able to continue with school since then. I had always wanted to school up to university level, but see where I am today. I can’t walk, I can’t sit up, I can’t stand, I can’t do anything. My mother does almost everything for me.

“My ambition was to study Chemistry, become a great man, a philanthropist, a man who can help people, before this ugly incident happened to me. What happened was that I came to Lafia to work temporarily with the Nigerian Electricity Power Holding Company and fell in a pit.”

 “My uncle Mr. Francis Yua secured a contract with them, so he invited me to come and work with him, so that I could also raise some money to take care of myself and pursue my dreams in education. It was in the process of working there that I fell and sustained this spinal cord injury. We started the work on 13th September, 2010 and I got the injury on 30th September, 2010.

“We were casting iron.  We had cast the first day and on the second day, we were to remove the iron because they put it in the pit so that we would be fetching cement in the wheelbarrow and putting in the pit.

“From there, we were packing the iron to another pit, but it was rainy season and the ground was slippery. As I held the iron and made to turn, I suddenly slipped,  lost my balance and fell inside the deep pit with the iron I was carrying.

“I was taken to the specialist hospital in Lafia, but after much spending, they were not able to handle my case and I was advised to go to Makurdi for further treatment. I was taken to Makurdi in a state of comma and I was in that situation for days.

“From Makurdi, I was referred to Mkar, Gboko, where they treat spinal cord injuries. That was where I got a little relief. I was in serious pains throughout these stages until I got to Mkar but before we got to Mkar, my parents had already exhausted all they had. My uncle equally emptied his account to ensure I got the best treatment.

Entire life

“Mkar actually tried but lack of funds hindered them from continuing the treatment. My spinal cord was broken in my neck and waist. They treated the neck and I got some relief, which is why I can turn my neck freely, but they were not able to treat  that of the waist, largely due to lack of finance. This made us return to Lafia without completing the treatment.

“Presently, I’m not undergoing any treatment; the electricity company did not assist me with one kobo on the basis that I was not their staff. At the movement, I can’t stand, I can’t walk, I can’t sit up and I’m permanently in extreme pains.

“I have been at home for a very long time, if I get help from anyone, I would want to go back to Mkar hospital, they really tried to revive me but finance hindered them from bringing me back to normal life.

READ ALSO: “I Beat My Wife And I Am Waiting For Her Police ”

“We have tried our best possible, my parents are peasant farmers. Since that incident, they hardly go to the farm again because they use most of their time in looking after and taking care of me. They have nowhere to go and source for money any longer, as they are hugely indebted.

“I have really suffered in life. Sometimes, I wonder why I had to be saddled with such condition. The financial cost and emotional pains that have gone into this dilemma are unimaginable, the pains are excessive”.

Utime sure needs his entire life back, but it may not be in one full swoop. however, it is only God that make it happen, possibly touching the hearts of men.