Victor Markus from central Nigeria, who was the victim of a vicious attack by Islamist militants last October, has finally returned home after Christian Solidarity International (CSI) settled his hospital bill.
Victor was a promising student who was looking forward to studying at university. After narrowly surviving a deadly ambush by armed assailants believed to be Fulani herdsmen Victor was hospitalized with gunshot injuries so severe that the doctors were not able to save one of his legs.
As if that was not bad enough, the 20-year-old was trapped in hospital in the Plateau State capital, Jos, for nearly two months, as he was unable to pay his medical bills.
Saving for an education
Victor lives with his mother and three younger siblings in the village of Vatt. Since the death of his father when Victor was just eight, money has been tight. The family has survived on farming and menial jobs. Victor was putting what money he could aside to pay for his education and hoped one day to get a well-paid job to be able to provide a better standard of living for his family.
Following the attack, and the amputation of his right leg, Victor fell into a depression, believing that his hopes for the future would never be realized. Worse was to come when the hospital handed him a bill for close to 1,000 dollars.
“I’ve never seen such an amount of money in my entire life,” his tearful mother, Mary, told CSI’s local partner in Plateau State, ECCVN.
After CSI stepped in and paid the outstanding debt, Victor was finally released from hospital on January 28. Now he and his mother can smile again. The road to recovery will be a long one, but Victor has taken the first step.
