A TRIBUTE TO DR ADADEVOH : THE LABORS OF OUR HEROES PAST

by AMBERACIOUS




Isolation Unit
Mainland Hospital, Lagos
19/8/2014
18:00 GMT



The ceiling fan blades rolled slowly until they halted. Dr Akin
watched the wooden pendulum clock glued against the white
painted wall as its pendulum continued to swing, the long arm of
the clock dropped at the figure twelve and there was a click sound.

With palpable regrets in his voice he told his assistant Nurse Titi,
“time of death 6:00pm.”

He could feel tear drop navigating it way from his eyes to the
hollow created by the tribal mark on his cheek and in an attempt to
hide his emotions from his assistant he turned his back against
the lifeless body who had initially been in coma for 24 hours
before finally giving up the ghost and reached for the door.

That was the best he could do to prevent Nurse Titi from seeing
his tears, he couldn’t have wiped them away as he was gowned
from head to toe with this yellow protective wear, he had his hands
covered by a pair of green gloves that reached inches beyond his
wrists, he also had this google on his face that would have
prevented him from wiping away the tears if he had attempted to,
although Nurse Titi couldn’t hear Dr Akin cry but the sound his
protective boots made at each impact with the concrete floor gave
his emotions away as he sorrowfully walked away. Nurse Titi still
couldn’t believe it. The heroic Dr Adadevoh is dead!

First Consultant Hospital, Lagos
20/7/2014
17:20 GMT



Dr Adadevoh was packing her stuffs into her bag getting ready to
close for the day. Although her official closing time was 4:00 PM,
she had waited to help Dr Johnson, the doctor on call for that day.
Dr Adadevoh was already getting used to the extra work as the
recent strike action embarked by government doctors created a
ripple effect with influx of more patients at various private
hospitals and the First Consultant Hospital was not an exception.

As she made her way to the parking lot where her car had been
since 8:00 AM, she was lost in thought of how she would get home
before 8:00 PM with the annoying hold up that awaited her at the
Obalende Axis. Then she saw an ambulance drive in blasting siren
as it parked in front of the hospital entrance door. She needed no
prophet to foresee that her assistance would be needed. She
simply dropped her bag in her car, locked the car door and headed
to meet the new patient.

Before she got to the ambulance, two hospital attendants and a
nurse were responding to the emergency call with a stretcher at
hand to wheel the incoming patient into the hospital.

“This patient must be a VIP,” she thought in her heart using the
entourage of men in suits that accompanied him as a scale of
reference.

Her guess wasn’t far from the truth: the new patient was a
diplomat from Liberia on an Economy summit trip scheduled to
hold at Calabar, Nigeria. He was said to be on a straight flight
from Lome to Calabar when he slumped during the flight, this
made the plane to make an emergency landing at the Muritala
Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, for him to receive urgent
treatment required.

Dr Adadevoh made a brisk walk past the records section of the
hospital as she walked towards the A and E ward where their new
patient would be received. She noticed one of the men in black suit
was already opening a folder for this VIP patient. She heard the
record staff ask for the new patient’s name to input in his
computer and as she walked through the corridor leading to the A
and E, she heard the man in black suit responded, “Mr. Patrick
Sawyer”.

Accident and Emergency Ward
First Consultant Hospital
20/7/2014
17:50 GMT



Dr Adadevoh was having a critical look at the history she just got
from Mr. Patrick Sawyer. She does this after the initial quick
history taking to make sure she didn’t leave out a major finding in
reaching her diagnosis.

“What could have caused the sudden slump.” she puzzled.
As she engaged her thinking faculty with this puzzle she could feel
differentials flying through her head: hypoglyceamia, hypotension,
stroke, some form of electrolyte derangement, anaemia.

Of course, she knew she would have to search deeper to come up
with a possible diagnosis. She was now on a second look at the
history and examination documented when her eyes fell on the
temperature- 40 C; next she saw the history of diarrhea and
vomiting. As she continued reading, she saw the part of
generalized weakness and then the bleeding from nostrils. Her
eyes rested on the bleeding from nostrils part, she quickly
rechecked Sawyer on his bed with a 90 degree turning of her
head to the right side to see if the adrenaline nasal pack in his
nostrils was doing the intended task of arresting the bleeding.

Patrick Sawyer lay helpless on the bed numbered 4. Though now
conscious after receiving few liters of Normal Saline, he looked
like he was in some form of distress; he labored with every breath,
breathing through his mouth and sweating profusely. Nurse
Justina opened the window slides to provide adequate ventilation,
synergizing the effect of the ceiling fans blowing some breeze as
they circumvent.

Dr Adadevoh continued watching the light in complexion huge man whose estimated weight was around 90kg, and then all of a
sudden, like an inspiration from nowhere, it clicked!

“He was coming from Liberia?” she asked.

Looking at one of the men who brought him in, expecting a
confirmation from him to which he nodded.

He answered, “Yes we were coming from Monrovia though we had
a stopover at Lome.”

At this Dr Adadevoh ordered everyone out of the A&E ward and
quickly scribbled into her computer a virology test among the
chain of investigations she had earlier ordered for. As they all
made their way through the door the two men in black suit were
the first to exit the room then Nurse Justina, who was adjusting
the drip drop to the meet the prescribed rate, she had to stop what
she was doing immediately because of the urgency she sensed in
Dr. Adadevoh’s voice. Following Nurse Justina was Dr Johnson
and then Dr Adadevoh who shut the door as she made her way out
of the room and ushered all the four people already waiting for her
at the corridor into the dressing room just opposite the A&E ward.

She looked at Dr Johnson who she was sure was waiting for an
explanation for the test she ordered, though all had responded
without questioning.

Then she said, “We have to seal the A&E, we can’t admit any other
patient in there, because, people, I guess we are dealing with a
case of Ebola!”

Accident and Emergency Ward
First Consultant Hospital
20/7/2014
19:00 GMT



Dr Adadevoh looked perplexed. She just told Mr Sawyer what he
has running in his veins but instead of the surprise expression she
had expected to see, she saw a knowing look on Sawyer’s face
interrupted with flashes of anger as his lips twitched covering his
tightly clenched teeth creating some rows of skin folds on his
forehead.

“You knew all these while”, Dr Adadevoh accused Mr Sawyer.

Mr Sawyer protested shouting “Noooo, I can’t die now!”

Sobbing, he reached for the IV line in his hand as he attempted to
remove it,

“It’s like you people too can’t help me” he said as he removed the
IV line.

“Mr Sawyer you have to lay back on your bed” Dr Adadevoh
instructed, trying to barricade the door with her arms wide open
yet stepping backwards to increase the distance between her and
Sawyer, then she continued in a polite voice with a face full of
empathy.

“I understand how you feel judging from the fact that the Ebola
disease has no known cure for now, but we have a duty to prevent
its spread to other people and one of the ways you can transmit it
is by contact with your body fluids, so please lay back so that we
can reconnect your drip and insert this catheter to collect your
urine for proper disposal.”

“We have contacted our ministry of health; they should be around
any time soon to take you to an isolation center where you would
be taken care of,” Dr Adadevoh reassured.

The mention of an isolation center triggered an eruption of anger
in Mr Sawyer, the memories of how his aunt suffered neglect all in
the name of isolation in Liberia when she contacted the disease
resurfaced.

“You people can’t hold me here, I know my rights you know, I
demand to be discharged against your medical advice, bring the
form to that effect and I will sign,” Mr Sawyer threatened.

Dr Adadevoh at this point knew this was going to be a complicated
case, the DAMA provision is for patients that want to discharge
themselves against medical advice. In this provision, the patient or
the care giver is to sign after he or she has been well informed
about the medical and legal implication of taking such a decision.

But she also knew the threat to lives Mr Sawyer would be posing
if allowed to set foot outside the hospital. Weighing her options
within a flash of seconds she decided Mr Sawyer must be
prevented from leaving the hospital and locked the door with the
key in her hands. At this moment Mr Sawyer wished he had a gun
to shoot these two doctors standing in his way from leaving the
hospital. With no gun within reach, he looked around to see if he
could find any other dangerous weapon, unfortunately, he found
none then he saw Dr Adadevoh hold the catheter and urine bag in
her hands.

He exclaimed “yeah body fluids.”

He reached for the zip of his pants, unzipped and in absence of a
weapon for destruction he brought out his weapon of life but
instead of shooting seeds of life to a waiting egg he shot the
content of his bladder into the air aiming at the faces of the
doctors.

The urine flowed out in a projectile stream and splashed
on Dr Adadevoh’s face. As she used her gloved hand to rub it off
her face she could taste the salty urine as her hand ran over her
lips. With an adrenaline rush Dr Adadevoh pounced on the gaint
Sawyer to retrain him from littering the ward with his urine. And
after successfully retraining him with the help of Dr Johnson who
also has his trousers soaked with Ebola virus infected urine, Dr
Adadevoh looked at Mr Sawyer; she didn’t see him as a patient
but as a medical terrorist!

Isolation Unit
Mainland Hospital, Lagos
18/8/2014
18:00 GMT



Dr Adadevoh laid on her sick bed as she was being attended to by
a health worker. This health worker Nurse Titi, was among the few
health workers who took up the voluntary job of rendering health
care to Ebola infected and ebola exposed patients in Lagos,
Nigeria. She was in yellow protective gowns with other protective
wears in different parts of her body.

The news of Dr Adadevoh testing positive to ebola virus came to
her as saddening but not surprising. She was gravely exposed to
the virus no thanks to the foolish act of Mr Sawyer when he
urinated on her face. It’s been 28 days since Sawyer flew into the
country with the Ebola virus and a lot has happened within these
days. Mr Sawyer died four days after his arrival into Nigeria but
not without infecting 11 other people. Dr Adadevoh, Dr Johnson,
Nurse Justina and the two men in suit who brought him to First
Consultant Hospital didn’t escape from contacting the disease as
they had primary contact with Sawyer when he was in the hospital.

Also, the coming of Sawyer to Nigeria made Nigeria joined the
league of Ebola infected countries in the world with Guinea, Liberia
and Sierra Leone topping the table. About a thousand of souls
have been recorded to have been lost to this disease with Nigeria
contributing 4 souls, warranting the WHO to announce the disease
outbreak as a health emergency.

Though when compared to the other three Ebola ravaged
countries, Nigeria seemed to be doing a lot better with 5 out of the
12 Ebola cases cured and discharged. Indeed this couldn’t have
been achieved but for the quick response of both the Lagos state
government and the Federal government at curtailing the spread of
the disease.

However, Nigeria has also experienced some pitfalls over these
days; first was the 4 deaths recorded which included the passing
away of Nurse Justina and one of Sawyer’s colleagues at the
hospital; the turning down of Nigeria’s request by the US
government to give the Nigeria government samples of the
untested zmapp drug used in treating two American citizens who
contacted the disease while in Liberia also was a major setback
recorded. Lastly was the embarrassing salt and water public
madness that many Nigerians showed gullibility to where they
were made to believe a warm bath with salt and a drink of salt in
water would prevent them from contacting the virus. Of course the
naïve act ended some people in hospitals and two people were
rumored to have died from salt intoxication.

Amidst all these negatives was a silver lining after a supposed US
based Nigerian scientist proposed to have the solution to this
Ebola virus in his drug called the Nanosilver. It was on this beacon
of hope Dr Adadevoh clung to as she has started manifesting the
late symptoms and signs of the disease .

Nurse Titi noticed something unusual about Dr. Adadevoh ; she
seemed not to be responding.

She immediately alerted, “Doctor, doctor, help!”

Dr Akin rushed to the direction of the distress call, he was equally
gowned as Nurse Titi. He checked some vitals and noticed the
heart beat, pulse and breathing were intact but the Glasgow coma
scale was 3.

“She has tilted into coma,” he reported.

Somewhere on Lagos street
Time: Unknown



Dr Adadevoh walked side by side with an old man down the First
Consultant street. When they got to the front of the hospital the old
man asked politely in a British accent,

Isn’t that where you used to work?”

Dr Adadevoh nodded, “yes I used to work there as a medical
doctor, I was a consultant endocrinologist at the hospital she
replied.

Quickly stating her short CV which she believed was by no means
near the intimidating CV of the man she was walking with.

“That’s good,” the old man replied

“You took after your dad afterwards” he said with a knowing smile.

There was something familiar about the old man aside the British
accent. The striking, unmistakable style of his moustache.

Alas, He was Herbert Macaulay!

Yes indeed! Dr Adadevoh happened to be the great granddaughter
of this national icon though Dr Adadevoh has never seen him face
to face. The mental pictures of him that she has were from the one
naira coin and some family pictures of his days. Strangely, both of
them seemed to be getting along with each other in this unusual
family reunion. It was like they’ve known each other for ages.

As they continued strolling across the streets of Lagos, Herbert
showed Dr Adadevoh various sites where he had engaged in the
nationalism struggle. Dr Adadevoh listened as Herbert recounted
the labor of our heroes past. She could feel fulfillment and
happiness in his voice.

She looked into the poor old man’s eyes and wondered if only he
knew the state of the country he gave his whole life for. If only he
knew that the country he fought for independence was at the edge
of breaking up because of greed, if only he knew that the
corruption he fought the White against was now the order of the
day in the country he helped to create.

And as she continued to wonder in her thought the old man asked,
” So what do the present generation think of me?”

Dr Adadevoh quickly searched for the proper answer in her head.
She knew she dared not say the truth that the present generation
doesn’t give a dime for who he was or what he did, so she lied.

“Oh they see you the father of nationalism”

“In fact they immortalize you by putting your portrait in one of their
currency’s denomination.” She added.

She cleverly hid the fact that the currency denomination she was
referring to, was the one naira coin and that it was in extinction.
Then the old man smiled, again she could feel the fulfillment in his
heart.

“I heard you also died serving your country, that you sacrificed
your life for the lives of millions of Nigerians by preventing a sick
man from entering the streets of Nigeria to spread a deadly
disease,” the old man added.

“Yes papa,” Dr Adadevoh answered, hoping to find fulfillment in
her heart too but she felt nothing.

“Don’t worry,” the old man continued

“I am sure Nigerians would reward your act of sacrifice by
probably naming you the mother of patriotism and immortalize you
too by putting your portrait on one of the currency’s denomination
notes,” he assured.

Dr Adadevoh gave a cheap “I hope so.”

She doubted if anyone would ever remember her act of valor as we
never remembered her great grandfather's.



Disclamer: It may not be the true side of the story but it’s the
amberacious side of the story.

I so loved the way you typed....you gave me the real case of the incident even though 'it might not be true'. Keep it up