Following a special report on persons with albinism and skin cancer published by BONews Service, an anonymous donor has covered the surgery cost for Damilola Ibigbami.
Damilola Ibigbami is a woman with albinism whose battle with skin cancer had stretched for more than a decade, marked by pain, repeated medical procedures and the constant burden of costs she could no longer afford.
At the time the story was published, Ibigbami had been waiting for nearly a year to raise 2 million naira (approximately $ 2,000), which proved unsuccessful.
Damilola received anonymous donations of 50,000 naira and 20,000 naira to augment her surgery. In July, she received a donation of 2,000,000 naira to cover the entire cost of the surgery.
On July 25, 2025, Ibigbami was admitted to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, where the procedure was successfully carried out.
“I honestly didn’t believe it at first,” Ibigbami said. “I had lived with this pain for so long that hope was becoming difficult. When I was told someone wanted to help me because they read my story, I was overwhelmed.”
Although her recovery period coincided with a nurses’ strike that affected hospital operations, Ibigbami’s condition steadily improved. She was discharged on July 31, 2025, earlier than planned, but in stable condition.
One month after the surgery, Ibigbami is doing well and preparing to resume her teaching work after the long break in September.
“I feel like I’ve been given another chance at life,” she said. “Before now, every day came with the fear of what would happen if I couldn’t get treatment. Now, I wake up with gratitude.”
Ibigbami credits the BONews Service report for changing the course of her story. “If that story had not been written, I don’t think I would have received this help,” she said. “It gave me a voice when I didn’t have the strength to speak anymore.”