12/12/2025
It is not a rotten yam; these are the legs of a woman that have become like this. What we call gangrene — caused by blood that no longer flows to the legs — has destroyed them. The tissue has died and dried up, even shrinking… while she is still alive. As for the pain and sleeplessness, that one is beyond description.
A small boil can make a person restless, let alone legs that have decayed on your own body.
Do you know the cause? Diabetes! A chronic diabetic condition, with poor adherence to medication, poor dietary control — she simply became careless because at first the illness doesn’t hurt. Now, even one and a half million naira would not be enough to remove those legs and pay for treatment.
Please, advise your relatives with diabetes and high blood pressure to take their medications regularly. Support your parents with their medicines. Make sure they maintain their treatments so they don’t end up like this.
She will undergo a below-knee amputation, and if after the operation the muscles near the knee are also found to be non-viable, then the knees will also be removed — an above-knee amputation.
May Allah protect us from this illness. Anyone who is 22 years old or above should know they can develop this condition at any time. Maintain proper meal times and exercise regularly — whether you are fat or not, it doesn’t matter; you must exercise.
Also, go for regular blood-pressure checks and blood-sugar tests. They cost no more than ₦1,500 — better to know your health status.
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Ibrahim Y. Yusuf
Photo credit: Anthony Adebere
My next writeup would be on "Diabetes" as it's poses to be a threat to Global Health.
