Eucharia Anunobi has recounted the challenges of her past marriage and the tragic loss of her only son, Raymond, during an interview on The Honest Bunch Podcast.
Ms. Anunobi, 60, was married to Charles Ekwu from 2000 to 2006. She said she was the sole provider throughout the marriage, paying for rent, daily expenses, and her son’s medical care. She recalled ignoring her parents’ warnings about her husband.
“He’s the same person who said he would be there with me through thick and thin. I was the one paying the rent, I was the one doing everything. Charles never brought one naira. When I started the battle of my life, Charles turned,” Ms. Anunobi said.
She explained that both she and Mr. Ekwu carried the AS genotype, and that their son inherited sickle cell disease. She described how she managed Raymond’s care alone after Mr. Ekwu left the family.
Raymond died on 22 August 2017 at the age of 16 years, six months, and 22 days, following a medical error at a hospital in Lagos. “The student doctor was asked to do a blood transfusion, but he did a blood extraction. I removed three pints of my son’s blood,” she said. She added that despite doctors’ efforts to save him, Raymond developed jaundice and passed away.
She said of her experience, “I’m grateful to God for having made me a mother. I learned so much in the course of taking care of him, deep in my relationship with God.”
She noted that although she remains childless, the sixteen years she spent with Raymond were among the most meaningful of her life.
