I remember when it happened
Didn't know anyone on the flight
But knew people deeply affected
The story still brings me to tears
Do read:
In Nigeria, on December 10, 2005, Sosoliso Flight 1145 from Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport crashed in Port Harcourt International Airport in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Ms. Kechi Okwuchi was one of two survivors out of 109 passengers, and the sole survivor of the 61 students from Loyola Jesuit College, a renown American Secondary School in Nigeria, who were traveling on the flight.
As a result of the incident, Kechi sustained third-degree burns on 60% of her body. She was given emergency care at Milpark Hospital in South Africa, where she spent five weeks in a medically induced coma, and they battled to save her life. In 2007, Kechi returned to Nigeria and was admitted at the Shell Hospital in Port Harcourt.
In the four years since she left Nigeria for the United States in 2007, Kechi has had over 75 different surgeries at Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston, Texas. The hospital provides free treatment to all patients under the age of 18. However, at their own discretion, the hospital decided to extend Kechi’s treatment for three more years - until she turned 21.
Now that Kechi is 21, she is no longer eligible for treatment at Shriners although she has several more surgeries to undergo including laser skin treatments and more reconstructive surgery. These surgeries are being funded privately by her family using their personal funds, and any donations they receive.
On July 30, 2011, a black tie fundraiser will be held for Kechi at The Landmark Village, Water Corporation Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Kechi, her family, and friends deeply appreciate an amount that anyone would like to donate towards either cause (fundraiser or surgeries). To make a donation, please visit: https://www.wepay.com/donate/135928
If you are unable to donate, please share this with anyone you know who may be willing and able to do so, and please keep Kechi and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Your support means more to us than anything else.
Media Coverage:
