I am
often amazed at the various events and experiences that give us a new
understanding of life as seen from the Word of God. Such was my 34 day
experience of taking care of my cousin at LUTH while on admission. For all of
those days, I was embedded at the hospital, not as a patient or visitor but as
a full time care giver.
But before I reveal this new perspective, I am
sure some of you may recall the term ‘embedded journalism’ that was coined
during the Desert Storm war by America against
Saddam Hussein in the 90s where journalists were attached to military convoys
during the war in other to report from a much closer angle than before. Since
then, it has opened up a new type of journalistic reporting.
This
message is not about the time spent at LUTH. Rather I have chosen to speak about
the lessons of gratitude from what I saw at very close proximity of my daily
responsibilities and which has given me a better outlook on life, health and
appreciation of what I have.
I often resume
very early in the morning and got home between 9 to 10pm. My responsibilities
were all inclusive of a nurse aide. Because of the breakdown of some systemic
structures, I had to clean my cousin morning and night, feed, run errands of
various types from purchase of drugs, making payments, taking body fluid
samples to the laboratory, follow her to various scan and x-ray centres – the
list was endless and no two days were alike.
I belonged
to an unrecognised, unregistered and underappreciated association of patient relatives
(PRA) that are a VERY HUGE SUPPORT STRUCTURE to nurses and doctors. We were
often insulted by the nurses whose jobs we did most of the time while they
claimed the glory. You will not fully comprehend this experience except you
feel it. I know because I was once like that when I only came as a visitor to
LUTH.
This
message is not to complain about the systemic failure of a public hospital or
about my commitment to a loved one. No! It is to let you know how my being
implanted in the system, what I saw and felt taught me to be VERY GRATEFUL
ABOUT MY LIFE AND GOOD HEALTH. It is let you know that when we have not been
incapacitated even temporarily as my cousin and others in a hospital and in
various degenerating illness, we don’t often do not appreciate how blessed we
are. I know because I was once like that.
At LUTH,
in my cousin’s ward, I saw all manner of horrible diseases that made me weep
for the patients concerned; bodies reduced to skeleton in pains, another in
coma. Oh! satan is wicked. In the first week of her admission, three people
died in a ward of twenty and by the time she left, eight had left this world. I
saw various degrees of helplessness daily. At another ward where I went to
visit a church member, an 11 year old girl had her left arm fully amputated.
What a life! Just thinking about the challenges she faced in Nigeria is
disheartening.
When I
came to LUTH, I asked God to teach me some lessons while there temporarily. I
didn’t want to be consumed in my responsibilities that were quite challenging.
He answered by teaching me through all I saw daily in one word – GRATITUDE FOR
LIFE DESPITE ALL CHALLENGES.
Before,
this, I probably thought like a lot of people that I had tough issues to deal
with – the feeling that yours are the biggest. Well, no more for with what I
saw, I am truly blessed. Yes, I have daily trials BUT I HAVE GOOD HEALTH AND
MOBILITY and that counts more than any problems I face. I can deal with them
independently not from a state of helplessness as these patients; some in a very
terrible state and some went on to death.
Financially,
we spent a huge sum of money. That is money I consider could have been put to
better use but was utilised to hospital expenses. So when next you think you
don’t have so much, remember my cousin and others who spent what they had just
to have what YOU HAVE AND MAY NOT OFTEN APPRECIATE.
To complain
is a part of the natural life but with all I saw in these five weeks, I ask the
Holy Spirit daily to help me overcome the urge to complain and rather be
thankful for EXCELLENT HEALTH AND A GREAT LIFE FULL OF POSSIBILITIES IN CHRIST
and the fact that I am able to rise above what is at the root of any complaint.
My cousin was discharged five days ago. She
was one of the few who left alive and well and not as a dead person. We have come through the crisis period by the
HUGE GRACE AND MERCY OF GOD. As I go about my daily tasks I have this feeling
of gratitude with me. During my time at
LUTH, time stood still for me, my feet hurt, my body ached and when I got home,
all I did was sleep. BUT there is a new appreciation for life that I now have.
Despite all I went through, I went home, slept
on my bed and enjoyed good health. Many at LUTH were not so fortunate. Some
ended up dead while some are still there having stayed for months and years (the
latter is true of a patient that has been there for a year and half) God was
good to me to keep me from a physical breakdown as I took in His Word daily.
Truly,
in some unplanned yet remarkable way, being at LUTH has me EMBEDDED IN GRATITUDE
FOR I AM BLESSED WITH A PRICELESS EXPERIENCE OF GOOD HEALTH AND LIFE. I choose
to keep that in focus always. I hope in some way, my story will help you to be
more thankful for your health and well being than before.
