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Shield City funds emergency surgery for aging father of athlete

Writer's picture: Laura SharpeLaura Sharpe

Updated: Aug 5, 2024





Abdullahi, 18, plays on the Shield City Football Team and supports his family on his taxi business


18-year-old Abdullahi called director Laura Sharpe in tears in mid-July. This soccer athlete on the Shield City Football team was distraught; his father, 55, needed an emergency appendectomy and the family expected him to pay for it as the oldest son in the family. Abdullahi already supports his entire family on his daily earnings as a rickshaw driver in downtown Kano- but the $100 bill was far beyond anything his meager earnings could pay. 


Because of generous donors like you (thank you!!) to our medical fund, Laura was able to drive with Abdullahi to the pharmacy, pay for the surgery supplies and quickly get everything to the hospital to save his father’s life.


 "In order to have surgery here in Nigeria, you must go yourself to the pharmacy and purchase all that is needed for the surgery.  This will often include the gloves the doctors will wear and the IV needles that will be used, and IV fluids," said director Sharpe.


The medical supplies we bought for Abdullhi's father and his urgent surgery


“Abdullahi was totally responsible for caring for his father and was in pure panic about what to do. I knew we had donations and at the end of the day, his appendix surgery was going to cost less than $100. I just want everyone to understand their gifts are saving lives and helping not only the kids at the center, but the boys on the football team and also their families,” said Sharpe. 


 In family emergency situations in Nigeria, the family will usually contact every member to get everyone to contribute what they are able.  Many times, they are unable to purchase all of the medicines or unable to get the surgeries that may be urgently needed. When families can’t pay for huge medical expenses like this life-threatening appendicitis, the results in sub-Saharan Africa are often grim. 


The good news is Abdullahi was able to save his father’s life and his father is on the road to recovery. Thank you donors, from the bottom of our heart. We are such a small non-profit, but every dollar you give goes so far here in Kano!





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