By Ebrima Mbaye
For the past 17 years, 33-year-old Fatou Ceesay has known only one position: lying down. An orphan from Niamina Jarreng, Fatou has been confined to her bed since undergoing surgery in 2009, a procedure her family hoped would restore her health but instead triggered a devastating decline.
According to relatives, complications from the operation led to the development of a tumor on her lower back. The growth causes persistent wounds that continue to spread, making it impossible for her to sit, stand, or even lie comfortably on her back. She can only rest on her ribs or belly, enduring constant pain that has robbed her of basic mobility.
“Every meal she eats and every drop of water she drinks is taken while lying down,” a family member told this reporter. “She developed a tumor which always results in wounds and continues spreading behind her back.”
Fatou’s situation worsened when her adoptive mother, who had brought her to Kabafita Layout in search of better care, fell ill and passed away. The woman who understood her condition best is no longer alive, leaving critical medical records missing and many questions unanswered.
Today, the burden of caring for Fatou rests solely on a young man – the son of her late adoptive mother’s sister. He single-handedly handles her feeding, personal hygiene, and all daily needs, a responsibility that has become increasingly overwhelming.
The family is now making an urgent appeal to the Ministry of Health, charitable organizations, philanthropists, and kind-hearted members of the public. They are seeking specialized medical assessment, possible treatment, and assistance in recovering Fatou’s medical history to help doctors understand and address her condition.
For 17 long years, Fatou’s world has been reduced to the space where she lies. While life continues around her, she remains trapped in pain and immobility. Her relatives have not lost hope that sharing her story will reach someone who can offer the help she desperately needs.
