It was a Saturday. It’s not amazing but almost intriguing how that’s the first thing I remember about that day. I remember because I was twenty years old, a 200 level student in the University, albeit we were on industrial strike during that period. My mother’s death was no surprise actually. I’ve been seeing signs, pessimistic images and writing on the walls since her days at the University College Hospital (UCH), where we’ve been earlier warned, weeks prior that she was taking nor responding to the drugs, that we had to transfer her from the hospital to another place of hospitality.
Afterwards, I didn’t want to see her so fragile, so medicated, so disoriented, but I couldn’t, I saw everything, from her very bad unconscious state, to the state of unresponding stimuli, to thestate where she couldn’t even do anything by herself. It was indeed, overwhelming for me. Fastword to that Saturday, Something felt different about that day. I’ll never know how it was I knew to spend that last day by her side. She was setup in the bed room, where the immediate family members watched mother breathed so heavily, as my mom’s unfocused eyes would roll back in her head anytime she tried to watch in her unbalanced state. It was the first time I was helpless, as she weighed down the last grip of breathe so slowly, that I couldn’t hear them anymore. It was quarter to two, there she kicked the bucket to our faces. I wept. Tears welling in my eyes, my own voice trembling. Something left me!
Therein today, for months, I’d assumed I would be completely incapable of functioning after my mom died. I had no idea what my life would or even could look like after that. I couldn’t imagine it, just like I couldn’t imagine, when I was a kid, it felt like I would just have to cease to exist when she did. And yet, here I am, three and almost an half years after my mom’s death on. I don’t know if I’m thriving, or surviving or even if I have moved on, but at least I’m no longer crying that heavily again. Wherefore now, as it’s a day late to the official International Women’s day, it still looks quite consequential to write about some of the most compassionate women that have had direct and indirect impacts on me. Hence, it’s a good privilege for me writing about them as my heroes.
First, there’s my mother, who is obviously dead now, but will forever be remembered as a tenderhearted woman. She was a fighter and hard worker and never complained about being tired or not feeling well about her children. Even now, I can still sharply remember some of the lessons I learnt from her. True, it’s the lesson of compassion. Mother was so compassionate, beneficent, benevolent and benign. She could give out everything she has, even if she doesn’t, imagine! I have watched her switch on ‘hunger strike’ that we the children might be satisfied, she will not eat till the whole house has eaten. She’s just beautiful in that beautiful way. Can your mother? I once espied her borrow that she might pay my bills not minding the humiliating risks. Such a tender heart that she cares for her children better than herself, what a hero!
My mother taught me to be kind, apart from her job of screen printing, she was also a teacher for about five years at neigbourhood school, where worked as almost free. She also ran other businesses just to support the family for many years until she got sick. She helped raise three kids, and many other children beyond her community. Intriguingly, mother was not only brilliant at her various jobs, she also worked extremely hard at it, and made sure that everything she did was done well. And she was right, because hard work pays off for everyone. Maybe we want to be good at what we’re doing, or we work hard to support our family. But whatever it is we want to do, we should put lots of thought and effort into it.
Again, my mother has always been the type who did her own thing and never cared what others thought of her. She just wanted to do her job, and to do it well. But she never judged other mothers whether they decided to stay at home or work. Her point is that everyone just does their best according to their circumstances, personal traits and possibilities, and that judgment never makes sense. Also, having a working mother is a gift. Without her, I wouldn’t even know what is possible. I wouldn’t work so hard to pursue my dreams. And of course I want to provide the same inspiration and be a role model to my children as well. She’s many other things, I can’t even say right now.
To other familiar faces you might want to know, there’s Ola Orekunrin, who is a medical doctor, helicopter pilot and the healthcare entrepreneur founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa’s first Air Ambulance Service. She’s dedicated to bringing trauma care to the most remote parts of Western Africa and her company, an air ambulance service based in Lagos, is doing just that. She was motivated to start the company after her younger sister tragically died whilst traveling in Nigeria as a consequence of their being no medical air service available to transport her to hospital. Ola graduated as a medical doctor from the University Of York in the UK and is a member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine.
Records shows that Ola Orekunrin’s startup story is truly remarkable. She was originally born in London and grew up in a foster home with her sister in the small seaside town of Lowestoft in the south-east of England. With a passion for medicine, she studied at the University of York in the UK, graduating at the incredibly young age of 21 as a qualified doctor. Her meteoric rise in the field of medical studies took her to Japan as a result of her being awarded the MEXT Japanese Government Scholarship. There, she conducted clinic research in the field of regenerative medicine at the Jikei University Hospital. However, the catalyst for a major life and career decision came when her sister became very, very ill on holiday whilst staying with relatives
The local hospital was unable to manage her sickle cell anemia condition, and as a result, Ola and her family started to search for an air ambulance so that she could be safely transported to a suitable medical facility in the country. The tragedy for the family was that there were no air ambulances to be found, even though the search took them from Nigeria, to Ghana, Sierra Leone and Cameroon, and across West Africa. The only one to be found was in South Africa, 5 hours away, but by the time the logistics had been arranged, Ola’s sister had died of her condition.
The sad part is that she didn’t die because her condition was unmanageable; she died of a condition that could have been managed with the right medicines in the cupboard of a highly efficient Accident and Emergency hospital ward, it was just a problem of access. The death of her sister and the circumstances that caused it, broke Ola’s heart, so she left her job and took the decision to move to Nigeria where she could try to make a difference to the lives of other patients and improving healthcare in the country as a whole.
Today, her business, Flying Doctors Nigeria Limited is the first air ambulance service in West Africa to provide urgent helicopter, airplane ambulance and evacuation services for critically injured people. Ola’s persistence, hard work, and gritty determination paid off, and today her company is well-established, well respected, and has won the applause and admiration from around the business world and from across the medical profession. She’s my hero today, as she has saved and still saving many people till today through her ambulance service.
There’s also beautiful Ameyo Adadevoh, who once lived and made impact which will be unforgettable. Dr. Adadevoh correctly diagnosed Liberian Patrick Sawyer as Nigeria’s first case of Ebola at First Consultant Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria in July 2014. Dr. Adadevoh kept Patrick Sawyer in the hospital despite his insistence that he simply had a bad case of malaria. Mr Sawyer wanted to attend a business conference in Calabar, Nigeria. Then Dr. Adadevoh led the team that oversaw Sawyer’s treatment. Dr. Adadevoh also kept Patrick Sawyer at the hospital despite receiving a request from the Liberian ambassador to release him. Dr. Adadevoh tried to create an isolation area, despite the lack of protective equipment , by raising a wooden barricade outside Patrick Sawyer’s door. Her heroic effort saved the nation from widespread infection. At the time of these events, Nigerian doctors were on strike, which could have led to severe crises.The professionalism and thorough medical examination carried out by Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh was impeccable. Adadevoh also provided staff with relevant information about the virus, procured protective gear and quickly contacted relevant officials. As a result of her report, the Nigerian government declared a national public health emergency and the Nigerian Ministry of Health set up an Ebola Emergency Operations Center. WHO declared Nigeria to be Ebola-free on October 20, 2014. Tell me who is a better hero?
Wherein today, there are many other beautiful and sympathetic women out there like my mother, Ola, and Stella who have done ravishing things that cannot be forgotten. Even in the political environment, there are many others that has done so many inspirational things that we cannot forget. There’s Hajiya Mariya Tambuwal, Dr. Zainab Bagudu, and who have all used their influence in garnering national and international attention and support for the plights of underprivileged women and children, ensuring the poor women, widows and orphans have better access to adequate and quality health care.
In the religious world, there are many ‘religious mothers’ who have made the compassionate impacts with their deeds from popular Mrs Foluke Adeboye, to Mrs Oyedepo and even to my meek and humble Pastor’s wife of New Glory Baptist Church, Rev’d Dr Mrs Funke Oyekan, they are all kind-hearted people who have helped millions of people in the unassuming ways.
As friends and family, I also have many compassionate female folks who have been doing well in a very humble way, there’s my sister, Damilola, sympathetic Faith, chivalrous Olaoluwa, courteous Sharon, courtly Dideoluwa, gracious Maccidat, outstanding Bukunmi benevolent Oyekemi, beneficent Deborah, altruistic Victoria, regardful Biodun and many other beautiful once I fail to remember right now. They are all doing beautifully well that I cannot possibly define. Finally, in the words of Maya Angelou, once mission in life should not be merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. They are obviously doing that, they are women. Permit me to say this, Happy International women’s month!!!
Ogungbile Emmanuel Oludotun
