Dr. Ada Igonoh of First Consultants Hospital, one of
the doctors who attended to the late Patrick Sawyer
who brought in Ebola into the country, has finally
spoken.
In her inspiring piece sent to Bellanaija, the doctor
disclosed how she got infected with the virus but
miraculously survived it.
She begun by narrating how Patrick Sawyer was
wheeled into the Emergency Room at First
Consultants Medical Centre, Obalende.
“Patrick Sawyer had complaints of fever and body
weakness. The male doctor on call admitted him as
a case of malaria and took a full history. Knowing
that Mr Sawyer had recently arrived from Liberia, the
doctor asked if he had been in contact with an Ebola
patient in the last couple of weeks, and Mr. Sawyer
denied any such contact. He also denied attending
any funeral ceremony recently. Blood samples were
taken for full blood count, malaria parasites, liver
function test and other baseline investigations. He
was admitted into a private room and started on
anti-malarial drugs and analgesics. That night, the
full blood count result came back as normal and not
indicative of infection.
“The following day however, his condition worsened.
He barely ate any of his meals. His liver function
test result showed his liver enzymes were markedly
elevated. We then took samples for HIV and
hepatitis screening.
“At about 5.00pm, he requested to see a doctor. I
was the doctor on call that night so I went in to see
him. He was lying in bed with his intravenous (I.V.)
fluid bag removed from its metal stand and placed
beside him. He complained that he had stooled
about five times that evening and that he wanted to
use the bathroom again. I picked up the I.V. bag
from his bed and hung it back on the stand. I told
him I would inform a nurse to come and disconnect
the I.V. so he could conveniently go to the
bathroom”.
She further revealed how the late Dr Adadevoh came
in contact with him thus: “I walked out of his room
and went straight to the nurses’ station where I told
the nurse on duty to disconnect his I.V. I then
informed my Consultant, Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh about
the patient’s condition and she asked that he be
placed on some medications.
“The following day, the results for HIV and hepatitis
screening came out negative. As we were preparing
for the early morning ward rounds, I was approached
by an ECOWAS official who informed me that Patrick
Sawyer had to catch an 11 o’clock flight to Calabar
for a retreat that morning. He wanted to know if it
would be possible. I told him it wasn’t, as he was
acutely ill. Dr. Adadevoh also told him the patient
could certainly not leave the hospital in his
condition. She then instructed me to write very
boldly on his chart that on no account should
Patrick Sawyer be allowed out of the hospital
premises without the permission of Dr. Ohiaeri, our
Chief Medical Consultant. All nurses and doctors
were duly informed.
“During our early morning ward round with Dr.
Adadevoh, we concluded that this was not malaria
and that the patient needed to be screened for Ebola
Viral Disease. She immediately started calling
laboratories to find out where the test could be
carried out. She was eventually referred to Professor
Omilabu of the LUTH Virology Reference Lab in Idi-
Araba whom she called immediately. Prof. Omilabu
told her to send blood and urine samples to LUTH
straight away. She tried to reach the Lagos State
Commissioner for Health but was unable to contact
him at the time. She also put calls across to
officials of the Federal Ministry of Health and
National Centre for Disease Control.
“Dr. Adadevoh at this time was in a pensive mood.
Patrick Sawyer was now a suspected case of Ebola,
perhaps the first in the country. He was quarantined,
and strict barrier nursing was applied with all the
precautionary measures we could muster. Dr.
Adadevoh went online, downloaded information on
Ebola and printed copies which were distributed to
the nurses, doctors and ward maids. Blood and urine
samples were sent to LUTH that morning. Protective
gear, gloves, shoe covers and facemasks were
provided for the staff. A wooden barricade was
placed at the entrance of the door to keep visitors
and unauthorized personnel away from the patient.
“Despite the medications prescribed earlier, the
vomiting and diarrhea persisted. The fever escalated
from 38c to 40c.

“On the morning of Wednesday 23rd July, the tests
carried out in LUTH showed a signal for Ebola.
Samples were then sent to Dakar, Senegal for a
confirmatory test. Dr. Adadevoh went for several
meetings with the Lagos State Ministry of Health.
Thereafter, officials from Lagos State came to
inspect the hospital and the protective measures we
had put in place.
“The following day, Thursday 24th July, I was again
on call. At about 10.00pm Mr. Sawyer requested to
see me. I went into the newly created dressing room,
donned my protective gear and went in to see him.
He had not been cooperating with the nurses and
had refused any additional treatment. He sounded
confused and said he received a call from Liberia
asking for a detailed medical report to be sent to
them. He also said he had to travel back to Liberia
on a 5.00am flight the following morning and that
he didn’t want to miss his flight. I told him that I
would inform Dr. Adadevoh. As I was leaving the
room, I met Dr. Adadevoh dressed in her protective
gear along with a nurse and another doctor. They
went into his room to have a discussion with him
and as I heard later to reset his I.V. line which he
had deliberately removed after my visit to his room.
“At 6:30am, Friday 25th July, I got a call from the
nurse that Patrick Sawyer was completely
unresponsive. Again I put on the protective gear and
headed to his room. I found him slumped in the
bathroom. I examined him and observed that there
was no respiratory movement. I felt for his pulse; it
was absent. We had lost him. It was I who certified
Patrick Sawyer dead. I informed Dr. Adadevoh
immediately and she instructed that no one was to
be allowed to go into his room for any reason at all.
Later that day, officials from W.H.O came and took
his body away. The test in Dakar later came out
positive for Zaire strain of the Ebola virus. We now
had the first official case of Ebola virus disease in
Nigeria”.
On how much trauma his death caused them all,
she said, “It was a sobering day. We all began to go
over all that happened in the last few days,
wondering just how much physical contact we had
individually made with Patrick Sawyer. Every patient
on admission was discharged that day and
decontamination began in the hospital. We were
now managing a crisis situation…The frenetic pace
of life in Lagos, coupled with the demanding nature
of my job as a doctor, means that I occasionally
need a change of environment. As such, one week
before Patrick Sawyer died, I had gone to my
parents’ home for a retreat. I was still staying with
them when I received my temperature chart and
thermometer on Tuesday 29th of July. I could not
contain my anxiety.
“People were talking Ebola everywhere – on
television, online, everywhere. I soon started
experiencing joint and muscle aches and a sore
throat, which I quickly attributed to stress and
anxiety. I decided to take malaria tablets. I also
started taking antibiotics for the sore throat. The
first couple of temperature readings were normal.
Every day I would attempt to recall the period
Patrick Sawyer was on admission – just how much
direct and indirect contact did I have with him? I
reassured myself that my contact with him was
quite minimal. I completed the anti-malarials but
the aches and pains persisted. I had loss of appetite
and felt very tired”.
“When the pains and aches persisted, she went to
see another doctor who took samples of her blood
for a test. The following day, Sunday 3rd of August, I
got a call from one of the doctors who came to take
my sample the day before. He told me that the
sample which was they had taken was not
confirmatory, and that they needed another sample.
He did not sound very coherent and I became
worried. They came with the ambulance that
afternoon and told me that I had to go with them to
Yaba. I was confused. Couldn’t the second sample
be taken in the ambulance like the previous one? He
said a better-qualified person at the Yaba centre
would take the sample. I asked if they would bring
me back. He said ‘yes’. Even with the symptoms I
did not believe I had Ebola. After all, my contact
with Sawyer was minimal. I only touched his I.V.
fluid bag just that once without gloves. The only
time I actually touched him was when I checked his
pulse and confirmed him dead, and I wore double
gloves and felt adequately protected.
I told my parents I had to go with the officials to
Yaba and that I would be back that evening. I wore
a white top and a pair of jeans, and I put my iPad
and phones in my bag.
A man opened the ambulance door for me and
moved away from me rather swiftly. Strange
behavior, I thought. They were friendly with me the
day before, but that day, not so. No pleasantries, no
smiles. I looked up and saw my mother watching
through her bedroom window.
We soon got to Yaba. I really had no clue where I
was. I knew it was a hospital. I was left alone in the
back of the ambulance for over four hours. My mind
was in a whirl. I didn’t know what to think. I was
offered food to eat but I could barely eat the rice.
The ambulance door opened and a Caucasian
gentleman approached me but kept a little distance.
He said to me, ‘I have to inform you that your blood
tested positive for Ebola. I am sorry’. I had no
reaction. I think I must have been in shock. He then
told me to open my mouth and he looked at my
tongue. He said it was the typical Ebola tongue. I
took out my mirror from my bag and took a look
and I was shocked at what I saw. My whole tongue
had a white coating, looked furry and had a long,
deep ridge right in the middle. I then started to look
at my whole body, searching for Ebola rashes and
other signs as we had been recently instructed. I
called my mother immediately and said, “Mummy,
they said I have Ebola, but don’t worry, I will survive
it. Please, go and lock my room now; don’t let
anyone inside and don’t touch anything.” She was
silent. I cut the line.”

On her experience at her the Isolated ward in Yaba,
she said “I was taken to the female ward. I was
shocked at the environment. It looked like an
abandoned building. I suspected it had not been in
use for quite a while. As I walked in, I immediately
recognized one of the ward maids from our hospital.
She always had a smile for me but not this time.
She was ill and she looked it. She had been stooling
a lot too. I soon settled into my corner and looked
around the room. It smelled of faeces and vomit. It
also had a characteristic Ebola smell to which I
became accustomed. Dinner was served – rice and
stew. The pepper stung my mouth and tongue. I
dropped the spoon. No dinner that night.
“Dr. David, the Caucasian man who had met me at
the ambulance on my arrival, came in wearing his
full protective ‘hazmat’ suit and goggles. It was
fascinating seeing one live. I had only seen them
online. He brought bottles of water and ORS, the
oral fluid therapy which he dropped by my bedside.
He told me that 90 percent of the treatment
depended on me. He said I had to drink at least 4.5
litres of ORS daily to replace fluids lost in stooling
and vomiting. I told him I had stooled three times
earlier and taken Imodium tablets to stop the
stooling. He said it was not advisable, as the virus
would replicate the more inside of me. It was better
he said to let it out. He said good night and left.
“My parents called. My uncle called. My husband
called crying. He could not believe the news. My
parents had informed him, as I didn’t even know
how to break the news to him. As I lay on my bed in
that isolation ward, strangely, I did not fear for my
life. I was confident that I would leave that ward
some day. There was an inner sense of calm. I did
not for a second think I would be consumed by the
disease. That evening, the symptoms fully kicked in.
I was stooling almost every two hours. The toilets
did not flush so I had to fetch water in a bucket
from the bathroom each time I used the toilet. I
then placed another bucket beneath my bed for the
vomiting. On certain occasion I would run to the
toilet with a bottle of ORS, so that as I was stooling,
I was drinking.
“The next day Monday 4th of August, I began to
notice red rashes on my skin particularly on my
arms. I had developed sores all over my mouth. My
head was pounding so badly. The sore throat was
so severe I could not eat. I could only drink the
ORS. I took paracetamol for the pain. The ward
maid across from me wasn’t doing so well. She had
stopped speaking. I couldn’t even brush my teeth;
the sores in my mouth were so bad. This was a
battle for my life but I was determined I would not
die.
“Every morning, I began the day with reading and
meditating on Psalm 91. The sanitary condition in
the ward left much to be desired. The whole Ebola
thing had caught everyone by surprise. Lagos State
Ministry of Health was doing its best to contain the
situation but competent hands were few. The sheets
were not changed for days. The floor was stained
with greenish vomitus and excrement. Dr. David
would come in once or twice a day and help clean
up the ward after chatting with us. He was the only
doctor who attended to us. There was no one else
at that time. The matrons would leave our food
outside the door; we had to go get the food
ourselves. They hardly entered in the initial days.
Everyone was being careful. This was all so new. I
could understand, was this not how we ourselves
had contracted the disease? Mosquitoes were our
roommates until they brought us mosquito nets.”
Speaking on her encounter with the late Nurse
Justina Ejelonu at the ward she said, “Later that
evening, Dr. David brought another lady into the
ward. I recognized her immediately as Justina
Ejelonu, a nurse who had started working at First
Consultants on the 21st of July, a day after Patrick
Saywer was admitted. She was on duty on the day
Patrick reported that he was stooling. While she was
attending to him that night, he had yanked off his
drip, letting his blood flow almost like a tap onto her
hands. Justina was pregnant and was brought into
our ward bleeding from a suspected miscarriage.
She had been told she was there only on
observation. The news that she had contracted
Ebola was broken to her the following day after
results of her blood test came out positive. Justina
was devastated and wept profusely – she had
contracted Ebola on her first day at work.
“My husband started visiting but was not allowed to
come close to me. He could only see me from a
window at a distance. He visited so many times. It
was he who brought me a change of clothes and
toiletries and other things I needed because I had
not even packed a bag. I was grateful I was not
with him at home when I fell ill or he would most
certainly have contracted the disease. My retreat at
my parents’ home turned out to be the
instrumentality God used to shield and save him.”
According to her, when her case began to worsen,
her pastor got involved and every hour they would
pray over the phone. She further researched on
Ebola and made the Bible her companion.
“I drank the ORS fluid like my life depended on it.
Then I got a call from my pastor. He had been
informed about my predicament. He called me every
single day morning and night and would pray with
me over the phone. He later sent me a CD player,
CDs of messages on faith and healing, and Holy
Communion packs through my husband. My pastor,
who also happens to be a medical doctor,
encouraged me to monitor how many times I had
stooled and vomited each day and how many
bottles of ORS I had consumed. We would then
discuss the disease and pray together. He asked me
to do my research on Ebola since I had my iPad with
me and told me that he was also doing his study.
He wanted us to use all relevant information on
Ebola to our advantage. So I researched and found
out all I could about the strange disease that has
been in existence for 38 years. My research, my
faith, my positive view of life, the extended times of
prayer, study and listening to encouraging messages
boosted my belief that I would survive the Ebola
scourge.
“There are five strains of the virus and the deadliest
of them is the Zaire strain, which was what I had.
But that did not matter. I believed I would overcome
even the deadliest of strains. Infected patients who
succumb to the disease usually die between 6 to 16
days after the onset of the disease from multiple
organ failure and shock caused by dehydration. I
was counting the days and keeping myself well
hydrated. I didn’t intend to die in that ward.
“My research gave me ammunition. I read that as
soon as the virus gets into the body, it begins to
replicate really fast. It enters the blood cells,
destroys them and uses those same blood cells to
aggressively invade other organs where they further
multiply. Ideally, the body’s immune system should
immediately mount up a response by producing
antibodies to fight the virus. If the person is strong
enough, and that strength is sustained long enough
for the immune system to kill off the viruses, the
patient is likely to survive. If the virus replicates
faster than the antibodies can handle however,
further damage is done to the organs. Ebola can be
likened to a multi-level, multi-organ attack but I had
no intention of letting the deadly virus destroy my
system. I drank more ORS. I remember saying to
myself repeatedly, ‘I am a survivor, I am a survivor’.
I also found out that a patient with Ebola cannot be
re-infected and they cannot relapse back into the
disease as there is some immunity conferred on
survivors. My pastor and I would discuss these
findings, interpret them as it related to my situation
and pray together. I looked forward to his calls.
They were times of encouragement and
strengthening. I continued to meditate on the Word
of God. It was my daily bread.
“To contain the frequent diarrhea, I had started
wearing adult diapers, as running to the toilet was
no longer convenient for me. The indignity was quite
overwhelming, but I did not have a choice. My faith
was being severely tested. The situation was
desperate enough to break anyone psychologically.
Dr. Ohiaeri also called us day and night, enquiring
about our health and the progress we were making.
He sent provisions, extra drugs, vitamins, Lucozade,
towels, tissue paper; everything we needed to be
more comfortable in that dark hole we found
ourselves. Some of my male colleagues had also
been admitted to the male ward two rooms away,
but there was no interaction with them. I kept
encouraging myself. This could not be the end for
me. Five days after I was admitted, the vomiting
stopped.
“A day after that, the diarrhea ceased. I was
overwhelmed with joy. It happened at a time I
thought I could no longer stand the ORS. Drinking
that fluid had stretched my endurance greatly. I
knew countless numbers of people were praying for
me. Prayer meetings were being held on my behalf.
My family was praying day and night. Text
messages of prayers flooded my phones from family
members and friends. I was encouraged to press on.
With the encouragement I was receiving I began to
encourage the others in the ward. We decided to
speak life and focus on the positive. I then
graduated from drinking only the ORS fluid to eating
only bananas, to drinking pap and then bland
foods”.
However, her faith, she said, became shaken after
Nurse Justina Ejelonu succumbed to the disease on
the 12th of August.
“It was a great blow and my faith was greatly
shaken as a result. I commenced daily Bible study
with the other two female patients and we would
encourage one another to stay positive in our
outlook though in the natural it was grim and very
depressing. My communion sessions with the other
women were very special moments for us all. On the
evening of the day Justina passed on, we were
moved to the new isolation centre. We felt like we
were leaving hell and going to heaven. We were
conveyed to the new place in an ambulance. It was
just behind the old building. Time would not permit
me to recount the drama involved with the dynamics
of our relocation. It was like a script from a science
fiction movie. The new building was cleaner and
much better than the old building. Towels and
nightwear were provided on each bed. The
environment was serene”.
Speaking on Dr Adadevoh’s last moments, she said,
“The following night, Dr. Adadevoh was moved to
our isolation ward from her private room where she
had previously been receiving treatment. She had
also tested positive for Ebola and was now in a
coma. She was receiving I.V. fluids and oxygen
support and was being monitored closely by the
W.H.O doctors. We all hoped and prayed that she
would come out of it. It was so difficult seeing her
in that state. I could not bear it. She was my
consultant, my boss, my teacher and my mentor.
She was the imperial lady of First Consultants, full
of passion, energy and competence. I imagined she
would wake up soon and see that she was
surrounded by her First Consultants family but sadly
it was not to be”.
On how she eventually overcame the Virus, she said
“I continued listening to my healing messages. They
gave me life. I literarily played them hours on end.
Two days later, on Saturday the 16th of August, the
W.H.O doctors came with some papers. I was
informed that the result of my blood test was
negative for Ebola virus. If I could somersault, I
would have but my joints were still slightly painful. I
was free to go home after being in isolation for
exactly 14 days. I was so full of thanks and praise
to God. I called my mother to get fresh clothes and
slippers and come pick me. My husband couldn’t
stop shouting when I called him. He was completely
overwhelmed with joy. I was told however that I
could not leave the ward with anything I came in
with. I glanced one last time at my cd player, my
valuable messages, my research assistant a.k.a my
iPad, my phones and other items. I remember saying
to myself, “I have life; I can always replace these
items.

“I went for a chlorine bath, which was necessary to
disinfect my skin from my head to my toes. It felt
like I was being baptized into a new life as Dr.
Carolina, a W.H.O doctor from Argentina poured the
bucket of chlorinated water all over me. I wore a
new set of clothes, following the strict instructions
that no part of the clothes must touch the floor and
the walls. Dr. Carolina looked on, making sure I did
as instructed.
I was led out of the bathroom and straight to the
lawn to be united with my family, but first I had to
cut the red ribbon that served as a barrier. It was a
symbolic expression of my freedom. Everyone
cheered and clapped. It was a little but very
important ceremony for me. I was free from Ebola! I
hugged my family as one who had been liberated
after many years of incarceration. I was like
someone who had fought death face to face and
come back to the land of the living.
“We had to pass through several stations of
disinfection before we reached the car. Bleach and
chlorinated water were sprayed on everyone’s legs
at each station. As we made our way to the car, we
walked past the old isolation building. I could hardly
recognize it. I could not believe I slept in that
building for 10 days. I was free! Free of Ebola. Free
to live again. Free to interact with humanity again.
Free from the sentence of death.
“My parents and two brothers were under
surveillance for 21 days and they completed the
surveillance successfully. None of them came down
with a fever. The house had been disinfected by
Lagos State Ministry of Health soon after I was
taken to the isolation centre. I thank God for
shielding them from the plague.
“My recovery after discharge has been gradual but
progressive. I thank God for the support of family
and friends. I remember my colleagues who we lost
in this battle. Dr. Adadevoh my boss, Nurse Justina
Ejelonu, and the ward maid, Mrs. Ukoh were
heroines who lost their lives in the cause to protect
Nigeria. They will never be forgotten.
“And then she concluded saying “I read that Dr.
Kent Brantly, the American doctor who contracted
Ebola in Liberia and was flown out to the United
States for treatment was being criticized for
attributing his healing to God when he was given
the experimental drug, Zmapp. I don’t claim to have
all the answers to the nagging questions of life. Why
do some die and some survive? Why do bad things
happen to good people? Where is God in the midst
of pain and suffering? Where does science end and
God begin? These are issues we may never fully
comprehend on this side of eternity. All I know is
that I walked through the valley of the shadow of
death and came out unscathed”

Let me go n read it now.

omg! so touching! God will protect us ijn