Tonto Dikeh: I sponsored IVF treatments for 7 women in honour of late Ibidun Ighodalo

Tonto Dikeh, Nigerian actress, says she sponsored the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments for seven women last year to honour the late Ibidun Ighodalo.

The movie star brought the revelation to light in an Instagram post on Tuesday to commemorate the heroics of the late beauty queen a year after she breathed her last.

Ibidun died of heart attack in her sleep on June 14, 2020 — a few weeks to her 40th birthday.

Until her death, she was the founder of Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation, a non-profit organisation created to raise awareness on issues pertaining to infertility.

In 2018, the late beauty queen had opened up on going through IVF on 11 occasions; the social pressure that accompanied her fertility journey; and her quest to find happiness, all of which she said birthed her foundation.

In the post, Dikeh disclosed that she had no personal encounter with Ibidun prior to her death.

The 36-year-old mother of one, however, said following the tributes that trailed her demise, she was moved to check her social media handles.

“I only knew you (Ibidunni) at/in your death. I wondered why everyone seemed so sad and mourned you publicly. My first thought was ‘who is she?’ I did the girly thing…slide into your page and watched your beautiful life,” she wrote.

“I took a stroll to your DM and I fell in love with you immediately. You tried to reach out as a support and pillar in my trying times. You were one of the only people who tried to help me and you did not even know me.

“In your honour last year, I gave seven women IVF treatment to celebrate you in private. I am grateful for the love you wanted to give me. Keep resting in peace ma’am.”