SANFROSSA MANYINDA writes
@SunZambian
THE fate of Maradona, the two year old boy with a bulging stomach which has defied medical treatment, now rests in hands of his family who have collectively decided to leave all to God. They are waiting for the boy to die.
Lack of improvement in the condition of a two-year-old boy whose stomach has been bulging for the last one year and some months has forced the family to fold their hands and only wait for God’s intervention.
The Sun has been making follow-ups on Maradona Mundyoli’s case for some months now and has learnt that the boy’s family has remained pessimistic about his condition improving.
Now the family believes that the toddler has been bewitched by a witch or wizard with the charm of the desert rain frog which has a balloon belly (akolamfimfi).
He was admitted to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) for some months and put on a partial discharge.
The family was advised to take him back for further examinations to establish what was causing his tummy to bulge.
But instead of taking the boy back to UTH when he was due for re-admission the family took Maradona to a traditional healer.
After he failed to heal the boy the healer asked for two more weeks claiming he had acquired new powerful medicine for the ailment, but to date the child is still suffering.
Maradona’s grandmother, Mrs Hachaamba, said in a phone interview that no change had been noticed despite trying everything on him.
Mrs Hachaamba said in Tonga that none of the family members knew what to do next because they had tried the hospital, the Church and traditional healers without any improvement.
“Oyu mwana wilekutukatazya buya nobacembele. Takwe a change twalema kusoleka echi, acechi takwe. Tuligolede buya acakuchita ciliswekede.
“Kai kucibadela twasola zero, kucikombelo twasola zero aku bantu twasola zero. So tukeede biyo mama mizezo yagola buya nokubakuti kuli balitola kumu pailila,” she said.
[We have tried everything we could but we can’t see any change. We have gone to hospitals, churches and traditional healers but there has been no improvement. We do not know what else to think of now].
Mrs Hachaamba said the boy’s tummy had grown to the extent that he has even stopped walking on his own and that all he did now was sit down the whole day.
She said Maradona’s hands and legs had started becoming small as the tummy kept bulging and becoming hard each day.
“Tuyeya kuti zyakubantu zyachiswa mwana alimwi. Tuyeya kuti bakamubeleshela kavumbulabalimi akambo kakuti watalika kulibonya mbuli nkako.
“Abantu balaamba ati bakamubeleshela nkako lino kuboneka mbulikuti twakamuchelelwa kumusilika so tukeede buuyo,” Mrs Hachaamba said.
[We suspect that he has been bewitched using a desert rain frog as he has started to look like one. Even people tell us that the frog was used but that we delayed to find the solution for him so we are just staying and watching]
Mrs Hachaamba said the idea of taking the boy back to the hospital had completely been set aside because no cure was being found at the hospital.
Maradona’s family rejected help from the hospital in April, 2019 and opted to place him under traditional treatment.
The boy was admitted to UTH in December, 2019 and was partially discharged on April 19, 2019 and was scheduled for review on the 15th of the same month, the family ignored the instruction.
The family said Maradona would not be taken back to the hospital because he had been hospitalised for four months during which medical personnel could not establish what the problem was.
The family decided to place the boy under traditional treatment for two weeks starting from April 15 2019.
Observers are wondering why none of the non-governmental organisations championing the rights of children has shown interest in the boy’s case to help alleviate his misery.
Maradona’s fate is now in the hands of his family who have given up hope of finding a cure for him.