A Better Life for Ebube

Ebube Osueke came into this world like any other little boy in his tiny village of Amuzu, Imo, Nigeria.  Born to loving and attentive parents and 8 brothers and sisters, Ebube was all set to live out his life in his west African country and perhaps even one day he would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a tailor. This, however, was not to be.  Shortly after his first birthday he started having difficulty breathing. His parents thought little Ebube had a cold, but the cold would not go away. They took Ebube to the doctor in their village, but the breathing problems only grew worse.  The family was referred to a larger hospital in a neighboring community, but the doctors there also had no answers. They were then referred to an even larger facility in Enugu, Nigeria.  As the hospitals and the medical teams interested in Ebube’s case grew in size, Ebube’s parents realized that their little boy was in big trouble.

By the time Ebube was three years old, the age where most toddlers are learning to play catch and ride a tricycle, the doctors discovered that he had three tumors which were blocking his breathing passages and they were growing!  The race to save Ebube’s life had begun. The doctors in Nigeria did the best they were able to, removing two of the three tumors, however, the surgeries came at a great cost – the loss of jaw bone, teeth and damage to his face.  In June of 2001, Ebube was given a tremendous opportunity to come to Florida to have the final tumor removed and perhaps have some of the damage repaired. Ebube made the trip with his father. The surgery was made possible by the assistance of “Healing the Children” and they had host family in Central Florida.  Ebube’s father returned to Nigeria in 2003 but young Ebube had to stay behind to continue treatments and surgeries.  

Through all of the physical and emotional suffering, the perpetual string of medical appointments, and his looking much different from all the other children, there was little time for Ebube to be a child. Nevertheless, his host family and others in his life worked hard to welcome Ebube to life in the United States. He attended a small private school, Annunciation Catholic Academy, to help bring him up to speed and then he went on to graduate in the top 10 percent of his class at Lyman High School in Longwood, FL. Amazingly, to get to know Ebube is to get to know a gentle soul, apparently free from bitterness or self-pity.  Perhaps it is this reason above all others that I want to help Ebube to fulfill his dreams.

There are two things Ebube would love to do – finish college (studying International Business) and visit his family in Nigeria. Both are far out of reach for him financially.  For years, he has worked hard in landscaping out in the Florida heat but his income would not afford him the opportunity to complete school (Ebube has to pay approximately 3 times the Florida resident rate) or for him to visit his family (he has not seen them since 2001). I told Ebube if I could send him to college or visit his family I would and then I thought of GoFundMe!

Please help this sweet sweet soul have a better life and also help him visit his loved ones!