Stand with Tonna Okei-Liver Transplant Fundraiser

Tonna is a father, a son, a husband, a brother and a friend. He is Nigerian by birth and married to Toyin Okei. He is a Christian, a Worthy Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus in the Catholic Church, and the pioneering president of the South Carolina Organization of African Unity.

Currently, he is a public worker with the Department of Health and Human Services in the policy and behavioral division, South Carolina, USA. He is a Notary Public, an Associate in Public Management, and a member of the South Carolina Palmetto Cultural and Linguistic Committee.

Tonna’s selfless love and care for his community members and the general public are crystal-clear in the way he tackles all issues he handles.

Tonna has been facing serious health challenges for a while now, and despite several procedures and treatments done, medical specialists handling his case at MUSC Charleston, South Carolina have recommended an immediate liver transplant to save his life.

With liver transplant surgery comes heavy financial burdens like copays for all pre-ops procedures, the major surgery, and several post-op procedures, loss of income due to inability to work for an unpredictable long time and cater for his family, temporary relocation to a resident close to the Transplant Hospital to avoid 4 hours of commuting to/fro between Charleston and Columbia as he will be required for months after the surgery to be easily reachable from the Hospital for medical reasons, incessant medications for life, just to mention a few.
 It is almost impossible to exactly quantify in figures all these seen and unforeseen expenses in the already ongoing procedures, main surgery, and post-surgery periods. The least we can do is support Tonna in the way God lays in our hearts to do, by kindly donating to the course of this fundraiser.

Your support spiritually, financially, socially and morally will go a long way in alleviating the burdens that Tonna and his family are facing. Please stand with Tonna by saying prayers to God for his healing and donating to this GoFundMe to help meet his teeming financial obligations.
We appreciate your kindness and love for Tonna.

Thank you,

 

Georgina Chiejile

GoFundMe Organizer, SC




Statements from Friends, Family, and Colleagues

My young brother, Tonna Okei, is facing the most challenging battle of his life (and for his life). He has done well this far with the support of his immediate family and inner circle of friends. But, we are at a point where he will need the support of the community at large. He has dedicated his life to the reunion of the Afrikan family that was separated by settler colonialism and the so-called slave “trade”. We, as descendants of Afrika and non-Afrikans of conscience, must support him in the battle. We must help him to win the war so that he can resume his efforts for the betterment of the world. Please help generously so that this massive hurdle becomes a mere bump in the road.

..... Burnett Gallman, MD
Columbia SC
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I wish to bring to the notice of all, the recent medical challenges being faced by our brother, friend and father, Sir Tonna Okei. He has Ulcerative Colitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, these have resulted in complications necessitating the urgent need for a Liver Transplant. 

Sir Okei and his family need all the available help. To this end, I wish to solicit your help in raising funds. Sir Okei has always made himself available to us all for those who have had the privilege of knowing him. He has been selfless and giving of his time and energy, both as a community leader as the President, South Carolina Organization of African Unity, OAU, in South Carolina, USA and in the church as a Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus. 

Please let us support him and his family immensely during these tough times. 

Thank you and God bless.

..... Dr. Steve Osaguona, MD, FASDIN, FASN.
Columbia SC

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Tonna and I have been colleagues for the past five years. Tonna has always shown how much his family and friends mean to him. If there was ever a time we needed Tonna to step in and assist with projects or tasks on the job he would step in without hesitation. 

Tonna has given back, and now it’s time for us to step in and support him and his family during this time.  

..... Sylvia Trutt
Colleague at DHHS, Columbia, 
South Carolina, USA
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When I think about a man of honor, a man of discipline, a man of virtue – I immediately think of Sir Tonna Okei, a worthy Knight of Columbus and the Grand Knight of my council here in Northeast Columbia, South Carolina.

Sir Tonna is a dedicated and loving family man. He loves, respect, admire his family. He is a Pillar of the community. Sir Tonna can walk into a room and energize everyone in it with his laughter and infectious energy level.

Sir Tonna is a man that I personally admire. He came to this country an immigrant from Nigeria and has shown that no matter what the color of your skin is, or where you’re from, or who is telling you that “can’t do it” – with faith in God and the willingness to put in the hard work – anything is possible.

I hope and pray to God Almighty for Sir Tonna’s recovery. There are so many people who care deeply about him and want to see him happy and healthy again. It is my hope that he will be able to receive a liver as soon as possible. Tonna is the type of man who would go to great lengths to help someone else. His selflessness is one of the things that I admire the most about him. He is my Worthy Brother Knight, and the definition of a Catholic gentleman!

…… Rasheem M. Shay

Deputy Grand Knight, Knight of Columbus
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Just about Tonna, the man I have known for over 25 years, when our paths crossed in Dublin, Ireland. 

The news of his ill health hit me like a thunderbolt and has left me wondering why bad things often befall good people, like Tonna. His love for humanity is enormous and I pray that God should intervene to heal him so that he can continue his good works. 

I remember Tonna getting involved in local politics in County Kildare, Ireland to highlight the problems of immigrant minorities,  spending his meager funds.  He also co-founded the Rathcoole social club, a pan African association to bring into the European audience the positive image of Africa, and once took an Irish senator to Nigeria his native home country. 

Tonna is light when he enters any environment, and we should not let this dim in his prime. I implore all and sundry to dip into their benevolent pockets to help raise the support he desperately needs at this trying time. 

Tonna, never give up! You have been a fighter and always will!! We love you!!!

..... Chief Robyns Eta Umukoro
 Akparesanorsa of Igbide, lsokoland, Delta State, Nigeria
Resides in Dublin, Ireland
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I am one of the very fortunate people to have come across Tonna Celestine Okei. We both attended Government College Ughelli from 1985 - 1991. 
Meeting Cele, as he is fondly called, was golden for me and I will never forget how he came to our school, and in a few months, he was made the Sanitary Prefect. That for me was a great achievement because the school quickly noticed how tidy, intelligent, and focused he is.
He never saw himself differently, though a son of a Serving State Honorable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Defunct Bendel State, and from a respectable home. He will tell us stories about his Agbor kingdom, which we imagined was not in Nigeria at the time because of the fantastic illustrations given. He upheld his traditions and made sure we knew one or two things about his Agbor hometown. 

He was very jovial and will always lend out money or his provisions, and always forgot to ask for it back during boarding School days. 

Celestine Tonna is a lover of humanity, and will always want to help you even though the gesture will inconvenience him. I have seen him extend a hand of fellowship to people who were in need, even when he didn’t have to. 

When I first heard about his present health situation, I told myself this is the time to give back to our humble friend who will do anything to assist humanity. His good works and leadership has put his name in the chronicles of the Catholic knighthood. The Church didn’t overlook his special abilities and commitment to both God and humanity. 

I am by this, urging everyone to pray and support the Okei family both financially and spiritually in this season of their lives. We owe God and posterity this honour not to let Tonna Celestine (Grand Knight) bare this burden alone. Biblical Aron and Hur held Moses’s hands for Joshua to prevail in battle. 

Today we must be the Aron and the Hur Tonna needs to win this fight. God has a plan!

......Pastor Austin Edeki
Cosmopolitan Snr Pastor, Gospel outreach Ministries, Compassion House, Toronto, Canada