Lady battling recurring keloids seeks N7m for surgery, treatment

A 27-year-old lady, Nancy Chidinma, has appealed to Nigerians for financial assistance to undergo surgery and follow-up treatment for a recurrent keloid condition she says has caused her years of severe pain and disrupted her livelihood.

Chidinma, who made the appeal in a post on X through her handle, @EgoKuwait, on Friday, said she had battled the condition since she was two years old, following an improperly performed ear piercing at birth.

She said despite undergoing several surgical removals in public and private hospitals, as well as two years of cryotherapy, the growth had repeatedly returned.

She said, “I’ve battled keloid since I was two as a result of the first ear piercing, which was done at birth and was done wrongly. My parents have gone through several options given to them, and it keeps reccurring.

“I’ve done several surgical removals that I can’t even keep count of, both in general hospitals and private hospitals, and they always finish up with Kenalog as usual.

“I did cryotherapy for two years with a popular Bumps clinic, and the pain from the procedure almost paralysed the left part of my body as it became weaker and I couldn’t use it. Still, it resurfaced.”

According to her, the condition has become increasingly aggressive, with recurring abscesses requiring drainage procedures and persistent pain affecting her sleep and daily activities.

“I’ve been going through excruciating pains. Every single day of my life, I’m in pain. I’ve been popping painkillers like who’s taking candy. I barely sleep at night. Most days, I’m awake till morning. Once it’s night, I get scared because the pain becomes unbearable,” she said.

Chidinma added that the condition had affected her ability to work, forcing her to turn down job opportunities and remain at home since completing her National Youth Service Corps programme.

“I can’t go out, I can’t even show up for my business. My parents and siblings have had to give up their finances every single year because of me. Last year November, my sister single-handedly took care of the bills for the procedure I did,” she said.

She disclosed that her last surgical removal was in April 2025, but the keloid had grown significantly within one year and seven months.

“The growth you’re seeing in frame one is just one year and seven months’ growth, which is unusually fast,” she said.

Chidinma said a doctor recommended the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital earlier this year, prompting her to seek treatment at the facility from May.

According to her, an initial surgery scheduled for September 11 was postponed following an industrial action.

She said she subsequently had another consultation with the Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit of LASUTH, where a consultant explained the treatment required to reduce the likelihood of the keloid recurring.

“The consultant put me through everything I needed for the keloid not to reoccur. He said I needed at least two radiotherapy sessions, one of which has to be done exactly 24 hours after the surgical removal, and then another few weeks after.

“After that, I have to undergo chemotherapy and post-operative care, which includes injections, drugs, silicone creams and any other recommended care,” she said.

A consultation and referral letter from LASUTH, dated November 5, 2026, confirmed that she was referred to the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital for further management.

The letter described her as a 27-year-old woman with multiple keloids and indicated that she was being planned for excisional surgery with post-operative radiotherapy.

Giving a breakdown of the estimated expenses, Chidinma said she was informed that each radiotherapy session at LUTH would cost about N2.5m, bringing the cost of two sessions to N5m.

She put the cost of the surgery at N1.2m, which she said she had already raised, while estimating that chemotherapy and post-operative care could require another N2m.

This brings her estimated total treatment cost to N8.2m, leaving her to raise N7m.

She said LASUTH had scheduled November 19 for her next and final consultation before the planned surgery, adding that she hoped to raise the outstanding amount before the appointment.

Describing the decision to seek public assistance as difficult, Chidinma said she had exhausted her options after spending more than six months trying to secure treatment at the hospital.

“This was really, really hard for me to do as I have never done this before, but this is my last resort as I have exhausted all my options and I have spent more than six months alone trying to get booked with LASUTH,” she said.

She appealed to Nigerians to support her financially, saying, “Please help me get my life back together. Any amount will go a long way.”

Following her appeal, some X users have begun making financial contributions to her account, with copies of payment receipts shared in the comment section of her post.

She provided her Wema Bank account details for donations: Nancy Chidinma, 0427940035.