“They Said I Would Lose My Leg”: Nigerian Amputee Recounts Hospital Delays That Cost Him His Leg.
Eight years after a medical emergency led to the loss of his leg, Kingsley Kalu is sharing his story, describing a painful experience marked by what he says were critical delays and a lack of urgency in several hospitals.
His account highlights a difficult chapter that began with an accident and ended with a life-changing amputation.
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According to Kalu, his ordeal started after he was initially stabilized at Maitama Hospital. It was there that doctors discovered a major problem: there was no blood flow to his foot. “I couldn’t feel my foot,” Kalu recalled.
He was quickly referred to the Trauma Center at the National Hospital in Abuja. He arrived by ambulance around 11 p.m., but says he was not attended to until 4 a.m. Doctors told him he needed surgery for an “external fixation,” a procedure to stabilize a serious injury.
What followed was a days-long wait. “The Doctor gave us a number to call and the person brought the Iron,” Kalu said. “But the Doctor said the theater was already booked so we have to wait.”
From that Friday until Monday, Kalu remained in the hospital. “All they did was to dress the wound,” he stated, adding that he repeatedly told doctors during their rounds that he still had no feeling in his foot.
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By Monday, he was told his blood count was low and he needed a transfusion. He received two pints of blood daily from Monday to Wednesday, with a friend, Onyii Godfrey, stepping in to donate.
He was finally taken into surgery on Wednesday night for the external fixation. But the next morning, the news was devastating. “The Consultant came and said from what they saw I will need to be Amputated,” Kalu shared.
Hoping for another outcome, his family and friends sought a second opinion at Cedarcrest Hospital. Kalu says the National Hospital refused to provide a referral letter or an ambulance. “No assistance whatsoever,” he noted.
Instead, his wife, Eke Elekwachi, and a group of friends physically carried him to a car to make the journey to Cedarcrest. There, after an examination, doctors confirmed the worst: amputation was the only option.
On Friday, October 27, 2017, Kingsley Kalu underwent an above-the-knee amputation.
Now, eight years later, Kalu reflects on the experience with a perspective focused on gratitude. “I am alive to tell the story,” he said. He finds his strength in the life he continues to build with his wife and children, a daily reminder that his journey did not end in that hospital room.
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