By Yemisi Ilo Yemisi Ilo Yemisi Ilo says she has also been
battling Multiple Sclerosis for nearly 10 years and that Zara’s situation
shouldn’t have deteriorated to the point of death. Photo: Facebook/Yemisi Ilo I
also have MS and I am currently in Singapore – where by His grace I will
finally halt the progression and hopefully and prayerfully reverse some if not
all disability. I spoke to Zara on Tuesday. She said she was being given ‘Agbo’
to drink by her family and that it was killing her. Those were her exact words.
I told her to NOT drink it. With an already compromised immune system – Agbo is
bullshit. It is poison. MS is not malaria. I gave Zara clear details of exactly
what she needed to do to try to get well. It isn’t easy AT ALL – I should know
but unfortunately for her, she was surrounded by very ignorant people at the
end who felt that they knew best. I first heard of Zara when I read about her
on Linda Ikeji‘s blog a year ago. I got in touch with her immediately and
started a Skype friendship. I was in London and she was in the States (US). We
spoke regularly. When I went back to Lagos, we would WhatsApp and I would call
her. When she came to Nigeria in October last year, I went to see her and she
was surprised that she could move better than me! I organized the Battabox
interview (which we did at my parents house). She said she didn’t want to live
with her mum in the States – yet she had no one to look after her there apart
from her mum. She needed someone. She even wanted to come and stay with me, but
I am married with small children and my own MS issues were already enough for
one house. READ: Zara’s family says no one has paid them condolence visit I am
so pissed off, so angry, so fucking sad, teary and frustrated. If I had been in
Nigeria, I would have gone to pick her up on Tuesday when I spoke to her. She
was so desperate to leave Ogba. She said she had a return ticket to America and
would try to leave ASAP. I gave her my neurologist’s number so she could get
some steroids to help her get over the horrible relapse she was having. Also to
get her to explain the condition to Zara’s family so they would realize that
this was not an ‘Agbo’ matter. I have had MS for nearly 10 years. My walking
has deteriorated and I am currently alternating between a walker and a
wheelchair. Zara was worried that she wouldn’t get married and have kids – I
told her that I had 4 kids and was happily married and continued to work and
that there was hope. I have always been vocal about MS and even appeared on a
‘Moments with Mo’ episode talking about it. There are many Nigerians with MS –
I know a few but they want to keep quiet. Their families are embarrassed. Why?
I don’t know? It can happen to anyone at any time. Granted, I am extremely
fortunate to have the strength of character and a loving and supportive and
enlightened family to deal with this HORRIBLE condition that has led to this
opportunity for me to undergo Hemapioetic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) – Google
it. It has taken donations from over 100 people to do this. It costs over $150k
(N24,727,501). I told Zara that since she was a US citizen, she could get on a
trial at the University of Chicago under Dr. Burt for free. I just want people
to know that MS didn’t kill Zara – ignorance did. As well as our fatalistic
attitude in Nigeria where everyone prays and no one takes action. Thanks Bless
Yemisi. *Ilo is a creative consultant with many years experience in book and
magazine publishing, film production as well as project and artist
management....
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