A 53-year-old teacher and headteacher of Toroma Secondary School in Soroti District is appealing for financial support after being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, a condition doctors say requires specialised surgery in India.
Raymond Bernard Opolot, who has served in the education sector for years, says the illness began while he was at school, culminating in a sudden collapse that left him unconscious.
“I’m 53 years old and a teacher by profession. I have been diagnosed with a medical condition called brain aneurysm,” Opolot said.
He recounted that the ordeal started while travelling from school to Soroti, where he suddenly collapsed in the company of his cousin.
“I had the feeling of pain at the back of my neck, and all of a sudden I collapsed. I couldn’t recognise anything again,” he said.
Opolot was first admitted to Soroti Main Hospital, where he spent about a week. Due to his unstable condition, he was later referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala for specialised care.
According to Opolot, he remained unconscious for nearly a month and only regained awareness after receiving treatment at Mulago’s neuro department.
“The treatment was so helpful because I was able to regain my consciousness which I had lost for almost about a month,” he noted.
Doctors reportedly told him that the aneurysm affected the left side of his brain after pressure caused an artery to burst, impacting his coordination and speech.
“It kind of leaked into the brain and affected the left-hand side of the brain… and affected coordination and speech,” Opolot explained.
However, he says Mulago doctors later informed him that his condition could not be fully managed in Uganda and issued a referral letter with all documents for treatment in India.
“The condition that I had could not be handled in Mulago Hospital and they referred me to a specialist in India,” he said.
Costs Expected to Rise
Opolot says that the surgery alone is estimated at nearly Shs100 million, excluding travel, accommodation, welfare, and the cost of accompanying caregivers.
“It is almost about a hundred million. This excludes travel and accommodation and welfare,” he said.
He adds that he must travel with his wife and medical personnel to support his recovery and ensure follow-up reporting upon return.
With the funds unavailable, Opolot says his family and friends have begun mobilisation efforts, but the situation remains difficult.
“We have begun to look around to see how we can be able to mobilise this money… it is hard to come by,” he added.
A neighbour, Thomas Emadu, said the community was deeply disturbed by news of Opolot’s collapse following severe headaches.
“A few months ago we got very disturbing news that Raymond had lost his consciousness. He had developed severe headache,” Emadu said.
Emadu described Opolot as a key community figure whose experience and leadership in education are critical, especially in nurturing children in the area.
“Raymond being a teacher, and a head teacher… many of us got concerned because this is a person who is serving the community,” he said.
He added that the referral to India confirms the condition is beyond local technical capacity, leaving the family facing an overwhelming financial burden.
“From the documents we have seen, Raymond needs about 100 million shillings… and that seems to be excluding the cost of the people who are accompanying him,” Emadu explained.
Emadu has also appealed to Opolot’s former students and alumni from schools where he has served, urging them to contribute towards saving his life.
“We really want to appeal to people of goodwill… and the students that Raymond has taught before… we want to ask that you lend a helping hand,” he said.
Opolot hopes to undergo the surgery, return home, continue supporting his family, and resume service to the community.
“Restoration of my life is very important… whatever small as it can come would be very, very useful,” Opolot appealed.