Help Dede Pay His Mom's Medical Bills

Hi, my name is Ukairo Ukairo and I am reaching out to you to help my close friend Dede Ogbueze raise money for his mother Elizabeth Ogbueze's medical expenses. He noticed she was not feeling well and took her to a hospital in Nigeria where it was discovered that she had had a stroke. The hospital they were then referred to require that they deposit the sum of 2 million naira, which converted to dollars is nearly $5000.

 

This might come as a shock to some who read this, but this deposit-before-admittance practice is standard in Nigeria. There are many stories out there about people who lose loved ones because they cannot come up with initial fees. It is merely a symptom of a larger problem with Nigerian health care in general.

 

This is a really urgent situation as she is currently been sustained by his care and an oxygen mask.

 

 

 

My friend, Dede traveled back home to Nigeria this December to be with his dear mother and the rest of his maternal family. Having been close friends with Dede for coming up on 5 months, I know how much his mother and family mean to him.

 

 

 

I have not had the pleasure and honor to meet his mother in person, but I have met her through him. Dede is a kind, caring, driven, passionate human who I have had some of my favorite memories since moving to LA to continue film school. I met him last year in a Clubhouse room for Igbos (Igbo is a Nigerian ethnic group in Nigeria). I was moved by the thoughts he shared about diaspora relations and followed him on Instagram. Come to find out that he is an actor (Check out Paradise here). You already can imagine I could see us working together.

 

I hit him up and we got to working together. We made a short film using zoom. My colleagues and professors found Dede to be a compelling actor. I recall hearing him and his mom converse in Igbo. I enjoyed their quick conversation because it was a different dialect than I was used to, and they truly sounded like they were the best of friends. They also shared something in common which he only learned a couple months ago: when she first moved to the US, she wanted to be an actress! This is a photoshoot she did all those years ago.

 

 

And below is a headshot she took back in the day.

 

 

At the time of writing this, Dede and his mother were outside the hospital where his mother was refused care due to the $5000 deposit. You can see her laying in the front seat of a van, with an oxygen mask helping her with breath support.

 

 

There are too many people who need urgent care in Nigeria who cannot even get in the queue to get a hospital bed. There will be another day to think about healthcare in Nigeria or any part of the world for that matter. Today, it's about helping my friend's mom get the care she needs.

 

We hope we can raise and exceed the $5000 since we do not know what the rest of the bills will be once treatment begins.

 

Please. Please. Please. If there is ANY amount you can donate, we will take it. There is nothing too small, and there is nothing too big. Whatever you can contribute, please help my friend out in this time of need.

 

If you can CashApp, it would help things go faster because he will get access to the funds way quicker.

 

Here are Dede's Nigerian Bank Account Details as well:

Ogbueze Dede Ogburugw

GT Bank 0632603814

 

We will be sure to let you know if there are other ways you can support. Thank you so much in advance.