By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

A Durham family’s adopted son, born in Liberia and brought to his adoptive parents’ Kansas home for medical treatment, will be buried near Durham after his death in a Liberia hospice.

Sekou Sheriff Buller, 12, adopted son of Eric and Pam Buller, died Aug. 7 at Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital, Liberia.

He was born April 17, 2012, in Harbel, Liberia, to Varney Sheriff and Lucy Binda.

When he was 14 months old, Sekou’s mother died. Four months later, he was admitted to the hospital with cerebral malaria. It was followed by a stroke.

Sekou spent two months in a coma, then began to wake up one eye at a time. After a couple of months, he would sit in the nurse’s station in a box. He became attached to hospital staff, including Alexandria Buller, part of a missionary family who was training as a nurse assistant.

In March, 2014, ebola began to spread in Liberia, and the hospital prepared to open a treatment unit. Its priority was to dismiss patients who were able to leave and recover elsewhere. A physician and nurse found Sekou’s father.

“While it was evident he loved Sekou, he couldn’t afford the hospital bill and wasn’t able to care for Sekou’s needs,” Pam Buller said.

The Bullers were asked to foster Sekou, who was unable to walk, speak, or feed himself.

As ebola spread, part of the family was evacuated from Liberia. Pam stayed behind six weeks to get travel clearance, and the family was partially reunited in Kansas that summer.

“Sekou was a student at Hillsboro Elementary School when we were stateside during his medical treatment,” Pam Buller said. “All four of our younger kids attended Hillsboro schools.”

Soon after the Bullers formally adopted Sekou, he began to have seizures.

In October, 2021, he became very sick from several bouts of COVID-19. That caused his seizures to increase.

Sekou was diagnosed with epilepsy, dysautonomia (a nervous system disorder that disrupts automatic body functions), and severe obstructive apnea.

Eventually, his epilepsy evolved into Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, a severe and progressive form of epilepsy that is resistant to medication.

As a result of ongoing illness, Sekou lost parts of his personality and ability to function, including his ability to eat or sit up. He was dependent on a feeding tube and had an implant to help combat seizures.

In early 2023, the family made a difficult decision to transition Sekou to hospice care.

“We could focus on spending time with him and making him comfortable instead of desperately holding onto his life,” she said. “He had already experienced so much suffering.”

The family decided to take Sekou to Liberia, which had been their home for 13 years, to give him the opportunity to spend time with his biological father and his last days in his homeland.

“Over the course of his life, Sekou was a smart, ornery, tenacious, and brave guy,” Pam Buller said. “He loved food, especially gari and peanut butter. He loved his Leap Frog musical turtle, and thanks to the Walker family, he loved Charlie and Lola. He also loved music and biting his momma to communicate his needs.”

Sekou is survived by his biological father; adoptive parents Pam and Eric; brothers Jacob Buller-Young, Theo Buller, and Peter Buller; half-sister Alexandria; sisters, Alexandria Buller-Parker, Elizabeth Buller, Lucille Buller, and Ruby Buller; and grandparents Fatuma Kamara, Wayne and Edna Decker, and Johnsie Buller.

He will be buried at Peace Valley Cemetery, near Pam Buller’s family farm in rural Durham.