Nollywood actress and evangelist Eucharia Anunobi has opened up about the heartbreaking loss of her only son, Raymond. She said the teenager died after what she described as medical negligence at a hospital in Lagos.

The actress spoke about the experience during a recent episode of the The Honest Bunch Podcast posted on YouTube on Monday.

Raymond was the only child she had with her former husband, Charles Ekwu. The couple got married in 2000 but ended their marriage six years later.

A lifelong battle with sickle cell

During the interview, the 60-year-old actress explained that her son lived with sickle cell disease. She said the condition happened because both she and her former husband carried the AS genotype.

According to her, she took full responsibility for caring for her son and covered all his medical bills after his father left the family.

The hospital visit that turned tragic

Ms Anunobi said the incident that led to her son’s death happened during what was meant to be a routine hospital visit.

“He turned 16, and we did not go to the hospital. At 16 years and five months, I travelled again, I think it was to London. When I returned, there was nothing wrong with him at all. I said, ‘Let’s just do his normal, regular check-up,’ so I took him to the hospital. The haematologist asked me, ‘Has he ever had a blood transfusion?’ I replied, ‘We only did it that initial time when he was young, just before his father abandoned us.’”

“I told the doctor we did it when he was about three years old. He said that now that he was 16, he should have another blood transfusion to boost his blood count. I agreed. They then told me to go and pay for the blood, so I went out to make the payment. The doctor gave instructions to a student doctor, but instead of carrying out a blood transfusion, the student doctor performed a blood extraction, removing three pints of my son’s blood.”

A desperate attempt to save him

The actress said she noticed something was wrong when she returned to the ward.

“It was becoming jaundiced, and that was when they said they wanted to take my son to the ICU. Long story short, the doctors arrived and brought oxygen. Long story short, that was how my son died. So my son died due to medical negligence. But I have come to understand that it does not matter how anyone dies, whether young or old; we are all going to die.”

“And nobody will live forever because the word of God is my consolation. He lived for 16 years, six months and 22 days; he died on 22 August 2017. Today, by the way, happens to be my son’s birthday. That is one of the reasons I accepted this interview on 29 January. Today is my son’s birthday. I was praying, and I thought, ‘Wow, what a day.’ I am childless today, but I thank God. I have a few people who love me. I have a few people who call me mummy,” she said.

Life after the loss

Ms Anunobi said she has remained without another child since Raymond’s death. Still, she said she remains grateful to God for the chance to experience motherhood.

She described the years she spent raising her son as some of the most meaningful moments of her life.

“I’m grateful to God for having made me a mother. And I learned so much in the course of taking care of him, deep in my relationship with God. And so I learned, like they say, the hard way.”

She also speaks about her past marriage

The actress also reflected on her marriage to Mr Ekwu. She said she carried the financial responsibility throughout the relationship despite warnings from her parents before the wedding.

According to her, she once considered ending the relationship after learning that both of them had the AS genotype.

“I told him that my genotype is AS because I have always known since secondary school. So I asked him to go and do his genotype test, as it were, and he did. And then it happened to be AS. That’s when I said, No, we can’t continue this relationship. Charles Ekwu, if you’re listening to me, or if you see this video, you know what I’m saying isn’t a lie; I’m not lying against you.”

She said he convinced her to continue the relationship.

“He convinced me and said, ‘Baby, no,’ because he believed things would turn out differently.”

Raising their son alone

The actress later gave birth to Raymond, but she said he became ill at the age of one. Medical tests later confirmed that the child had the SS genotype.

She also alleged that her former husband left her to face the situation alone.

“He’s the same person who said he would be there with me through thick and thin. He’s the same person my parent said, ‘Eucharia, this guy is not it for you.’ I was the one paying the rent, I was the one doing everything. Charles never brought one naira. When I started the battle of my life, Charles turned,” she said.

Eucharia Anunobi’s story brings attention to the struggles many families face while caring for children living with sickle cell disease. It also highlights the emotional toll of losing a child.

Even after the painful loss, the actress says her faith has helped her move forward while holding on to the memories of the 16 years she spent with her son.