“I got on the motorbike before I knew it, I felt a serious burn on my face, I can’t even tell if the acid was in plastic or can -Isaac Stubblfield
A motorcyclist who got attacked by acid for his motorbike has not Recovered but left Medical facilities Due to lack of money.
Maima Wright,[email protected]
Isaac Stubblefield sits in a Green chair with continuous leakage from both eyes as he explains his nightmare to The Stage Media.
“Even though I did not recover, my family took me home from the John F. Kennedy Hospital because they could not afford the medical bills,” he narrated.
Stubblefield said the family’s decision was as a result of the increased medical bill daily which posed a serious hurdle that they could not manage.
Stubblefield, 24 years, a known motorcyclist in Duta, Bong County is now seeking help for medical care; after thieves wasted acid in his face and ran away with his bike.
.
While en-route to Palala from Duta, he encountered two boys who told him to carry them to Palala; he agreed because he was familiar with one of them.
One stopped along the road changed the entire story of Stubblefield.
The boys requested to smoke before reaching their Palala, which he did. While waiting for them, the weather began to change as if it was going to rain and he told them he wanted to get going before the rain came down.
“We were going to Palala, they said they wanted to smoke, I decided to stop, but the rain was about to fall, so I told them, let’s start the road since we still have distance ahead of us.”
“I got on the motorbike before I knew it, I felt a serious burn on my face, I can’t even tell if the acid was in plastic or can but, I heard several knocks on my head.
“So, I started running and crying for help, the rain was heavy, but I could not see. They chased me, but I went in the bush and said to myself- do not shout- later they decided to leave me when I fell in the bush.
He slept in the bush and started crying for help when he heard voices and motorbike sounds.
“I felt myself crawling for help because I couldn’t see, I crawled from one grass to another and even used the grass to wipe my face, when I did, I noticed I wasn’t seeing anything but was smelling my blood.”
He screamed for help, every time he hears a sound of a bike, “Please help me oo, it’s me Isaac”
Early morning at 5:00, Stubblefield said the Islamic prayer was called and he began to scream again for the help.
“I got tired screaming and I did not know if it was late or early until I heard the Muslim people prayer sound.”
“So, I said, since these men(attackers) are not around let me imagine the road and crawl for help.”
Stubblefield heard a bike not speeding like the others, and he screamed, ”motorbike-motorbike, it’s me, Isaac, I got attacked last night and they took my motorbike away.”
He said the rider suggested getting more support, “The boy went and brought my family they all put me in a taxi, and took me to a nearby clinic, but the clinic said they couldn’t handle my condition.”
Stubblefield was transferred to Phebe hospital where he was stabilized and stitched, and Phebe transferred him to JFK.
At JFK, the medical bill kept increasing from one day to another the family ran out of money, so the family had to take him home because of the hospital bill, “The bill made me leave the hospital.”
Isaac is a promising man who makes ends meet by running his motorbike day after day, he is a father of a one year six months child.
The current caretaker and Paternal Uncle, Habakkuk Sengbe who described the situation as so discouraging because the doctors have not given them any assurance of Isaac regaining his sight.
A total of three visits; the family has paid US$150.00($50.00 per visit) at the eye clinic. For drugs, Sengbe said the amount is over US$75.00.
Presently, they have run out of cash and Habakkuk is calling out to the Liberian president and other goodwill Liberians to please help his nephew get medical care outside of Liberia.
“One time, they were trying to see the distance of his sight, but it was terrible; also, Doctors have not told us anything on if he will see or not.”
Since the incident, his family is striving to feed and pay hospital bills at the same time.
It is too hard for his family; so, they are calling out to goodwill Liberians and government officials to help Isaac seek medical care.
