Eucharia Anunobi Recounts Son Raymond’s Death, Alleges Medical Negligence

Nigerian actress and producer Eucharia Anunobi has shared the heartbreaking story of her only son, Raymond, who died at 16 due to alleged medical negligence in a Lagos hospital.

Raymond was born to Anunobi and her ex-husband, Charles Ekwu, who married in 2000 and divorced six years later. Speaking on a recent episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast on YouTube, the 60-year-old revealed that her son lived with sickle cell disease, a condition she attributed to both her and her ex-husband carrying the AS genotype.

Anunobi explained that she personally covered all of Raymond’s medical expenses after his father left, doing everything possible to keep him healthy. She recounted that when Raymond turned 16, she took him for a routine check-up after returning from a trip to London.

“The haematologist asked me, ‘Has he ever had a blood transfusion?’ I said we only did it once when he was about three, before his father abandoned us. The doctor said at 16 he should have another transfusion to boost his blood count. I agreed and went to pay for the blood,” she said.

According to Anunobi, a student doctor mistakenly performed a blood extraction instead of the transfusion, removing three pints of her son’s blood. When she returned with the blood, she noticed Raymond had turned jaundiced. Despite the medical team’s efforts to save him, he was later moved to the ICU but ultimately passed away.

“Long story short, that was how my son died. He passed due to medical negligence,” Anunobi said. Reflecting on her loss, she added, “It does not matter how anyone dies, whether young or old; we are all going to die. The word of God is my consolation. He lived for 16 years, six months, and 22 days; he died on 22 August 2017. Today happens to be my son’s birthday.”

Anunobi revealed that she has remained childless since Raymond’s death but expressed gratitude for the years she had with him, describing them as some of the most cherished of her life.

“I’m grateful to God for having made me a mother. I learned so much caring for him and deepened my relationship with God through the experience. I learned, like they say, the hard way,” she said.