Nigerian award-winning novelist Chimamanda Adichie has reignited a deeply painful hospital dispute after sharing a letter she says she wrote earlier this year detailing the circumstances surrounding the death of her son, Nkanu—affectionately called “KanKan”—and accusing Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital of serious failings in his care.
A letter lays out Adichie’s account of Nkanu’s final days
On June 13, Adichie uploaded a letter she originally penned on April 16, 2026, addressed to the chair of the board of Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital. In the document, she described the loss of her child and set out a range of allegations against the hospital and its personnel.
Adichie began by portraying Nkanu as a loving, joyful toddler with an emotional maturity that stood out even at his young age. She wrote that her twin boys were “precious and perfect gifts,” adding that Nkanu’s emotional intelligence was unusual for his stage of development.
She also recalled intimate moments that, in her view, reflected his gentle nature—comforting her when she was in pain, sharing his toys with his twin brother, and bringing warmth and laughter to family gatherings.
In the letter, she captured the stark reality of the aftermath by pointing out that the home had been set up with two of everything for their twin sons—two highchairs, two car seats, and two toddler beds—before noting that now there was only one toddler.
Allegations after an MRI sedation, and a contested death certificate
Central to Adichie’s claims is what she says happened after Nkanu was sedated for an MRI. She alleged that on January 6, not long after the sedation began, complications developed and led to his death the next day.
In the letter, Adichie asserted that Euracare’s medical director allegedly told her that an anesthesiologist had given “too much propofol” to Nkanu.
She further claimed that, following sedation, her son was not monitored adequately, resulting in respiratory and cardiac arrest and then hypoxic brain injury. Adichie wrote plainly that Nkanu never regained consciousness.
The author also challenged the official cause of death listed on Nkanu’s death certificate. The document, she said, cited bacterial and fungal meningitis, but Adichie argued that there was no medical basis for that conclusion and insisted the certificate needed to be corrected.
Claims of admissions, shifting hospital responses, and missing documentation
Adichie said the hospital’s medical director initially acknowledged errors during her son’s care and promised disciplinary action against the anesthesiologist involved. However, she claimed the hospital’s position later changed.
- Adichie accused the hospital of withholding medical records.
- She alleged Euracare failed to provide documentation it had promised.
- She claimed the hospital issued an adversarial public statement.
- She said the hospital attempted to shift blame through media reports suggesting her son died from meningitis.
One of the most severe assertions in the letter, Adichie wrote, is that an anesthesiologist’s report never appeared in the set of medical records eventually made available to her family. She said Euracare neglected to include the record from “the actual person whose actions led to our son’s death.”
Coroner’s inquest dispute and Adichie’s decision to speak out
Adichie also criticized what she described as Euracare’s conduct during an ongoing coroner’s inquest. She alleged that the hospital has used delaying tactics rather than supporting efforts to establish the truth about how her son died.
“It is horrific that Euracare would choose tactics more suited to amoral situations. This is not about a dispute. This is about the loss of a precious child,” she wrote.
In the Instagram post caption that accompanied the letter, Adichie explained why she decided to make the allegations public. She wrote that every morning she wakes up with her heart racing, asking herself whether what happened to her son truly occurred.
She accused the hospital of depriving her family of the peace needed to grieve and claimed that since she sent the letter in April, Euracare has grown increasingly obstructive.
Adichie said the hospital initially pushed for a coroner’s inquest following Nkanu’s death, citing concerns about “rumours of negligence.” But she alleged that Euracare has since moved to block the same inquiry through legal action.
“An inquest is a public judicial inquiry designed to establish the circumstances surrounding a death. It is simply a search for the truth,” she wrote.
Despite the continuing legal and investigative processes, Adichie said her family remains committed to accountability. She stated that even if the hospital tries to smear the matter, their pursuit of justice will continue.
She closed her post by thanking supporters around the world for messages of comfort, while acknowledging the immense burden of grief her family continues to carry. “This weight is too heavy,” she said.
