Wednesday 11 September 2013

OPHELIA



I had just finished dressing up after my bed bath when the team of doctors arrived for the ward round. I had been on admission for a while and was recuperating nicely. The doctors came very early (6am) as usual and they looked like crap like they always did that early. Not a nice sight for sore eyes. Definitely not my idea of eye candy. They always looked like something the cat dragged in or like someone just kicked them out of the bed (which is probably close to the truth). I actually promised to give one of the doctors a shaving kit for Christmas. Little minx that i was. Anyway, they checked my wound, confirmed it was healing nicely and i would live and moved on to the next patient.


I snuggled back as much as i could on the hard hospital bed and when i eventually woke up, a very beautiful lady stood opposite my bed. Lady beautiful smiled and waved hello. I smiled and waved back. I wondered which of her relatives had been admitted. I hoped it was someone interesting because the wards are mostly boring unless a new patient was getting admitted which caused a flurry of activities or you had a crazy one on the ward. We had a resident crazy one who usually gave my mom details about all the visitors i get after they leave for home. My very own personal cop.

We hardly got beautiful visitors with cute smiles so i stared. Her skin looked caramel soft and she had a brilliant smile to match. She had long flowing locks, curvy body with full rounded hips, ass and boobs. (I notice God's goodness so stop looking like that Mo, i'm not bi *tongue out*) Now, she was a sight for sore eyes. She was definitely my idea of an eye candy.

I drifted off again and when i woke up, lady beautiful, whose name i later realised was Ophelia, was lying on the bed opposite mine. She was actually the patient. Incredible. There was no obvious sign...well until she stood. I noticed she wasn't balanced on her feet and shook a little. Sickness is no respecter of beauty. In the few days that followed, we got talking and bonded well. She told me she was based in Abuja and was looking for a job before being diagnosed with brain tumour. She explained how she had been having recurrent headaches she initially thought were migraines until someone suggested cerebral malaria. It wasn't until much later when it got worse with difficulty walking, dizziness and eyesight problems that she discovered it was actually brain tumour. She was later referred to the hospital for surgery but due to the long list of people awaiting surgery, hers was slated for some weeks.


She was my very first mother in-law. She promised i was going to marry her son. See, my cougar ways go way back lol. Her husband, Frank was quite an eye candy himself and such a gentleman. Their son, Iyke was the cutest most adorable baby. The apple certainly didn't fall and roll off into the next farm. Mr. Frank worked for a private company in Lagos but after taking too much time off work to help his wife, he had to quit. A few days later, her job appointment letter was delivered to her on the hospital bed. I remember the day it was delivered, she was ecstatic. For once, i actually enjoyed being admitted. She was so much fun. We would talk about boys and school, my fears, hopes and she would gist me about everything.

When her relatives came visiting, it would be like we were having a cocktail party...well except for the drinks. It was beautiful and upped my morale a lot. Her husband used to sleep in the car because families weren't allowed to sleep with patients but you would never guess. In as much as i knew there were no guarantees in life, this was one of the cases i knew would end well. It was the cutest naija-couple love. You live on the ward long enough and you kind of figure out the ones that'll walk back home healthy.

A flurry of activities woke me up one morning and i groggily opened my eyes to see panicked faces. Ophelia was vomiting and having difficulty breathing. Nurses were in a panic. My mom, who is very slim dragged the biggest-sized oxygen tank from the nurses' station to Ophelia's bed side. She was quickly scheduled for an emergency surgery. Thankfully, she came out fine although she was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a few days just to be sure she was in the clear. She came back out and i was almost giddy with unbridled joy. You would have thought she was my sister. She certainly acted the part.

A few days after, she was telling me about how she was going to feed me fat for her son with cornflakes when i realised her words weren't making sense anymore. She was rushed back for surgery but she didn't make it back out.

It's been a while since it happened and i just sometimes wonder how Iyke is doing.

October is cancer awareness month. Let's all do something to make it count. If you notice symptoms that do not go away, please see your doctor immediately. Don't procrastinate on your health. Don't depend on Tylenol. Abnormal pulse and breathing rates, deep, dull headaches that recur often and persist without relief for long periods of time, difficulty walking or speaking, dizziness, eyesight problems, including double vision, seizures or vomiting are some of the symptoms.
Let's be safe and healthy.

42 comments:

  1. My grandma died of cancer....ehyah.....
    and it does not matter if your so beautiful or not........
    Toin ope your fine now...

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  2. OMG!!!
    I was so sure she would make it. #sigh.
    Its well with her son. May God see her family through this period.

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  3. Oh wow :( May God continue to comfort her family

    Hope you are feeling better too

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  4. Soo sad. Is this a true life story? I mean did you actually meet anyone named Ophelia in the hospital?

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  5. This is sad... :(

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  6. May her soul rest in pecfect peace,I pray for her husband and I believe her son will be fine.

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  7. This is so sad. Was hoping she made it out.

    My Daddy had cancer...you kinda keep telling yourself it'll get better...

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  8. How sad. Hope you're better now?

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  9. Ah toin you've made me sad today. This reminded me of when my mum was admitted for Cerebral malaria...I didn't even know there was such a thing until then.

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  10. Oh my goodness. How sad? How are you doing Toin? Hope you're fine?

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  11. Very emotional! Thanks for the awareness post...and I do hope you're doing okay?? Cheers!

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  12. So sad, was hoping she could make it. Thanks for the reminder.

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  13. My friends mom just had a successful ovarian cancer surgery last week. it has been a tense past 6weeks since the diagnosis cause Mama had initially refused surgery.
    Cancer is such a scary scary disease. just best to prevent it with a healthy lifestyle and regular check ups.

    Thanks for sharing my Toin Tomatoes

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  14. I was hoping she would make it too. I pray that her husband, son and family are well.
    And I also pray for God's grace for people who have lost loved ones to cancer..

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  15. OMG!!! This is soo sad!!!! :(( I thought she was going to make it sha! So so sad. Thanks for the message love.

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  16. Oh my!!!!,even when I knew the end I was hoping it would change,I must have read this about 15 times now,each time hoping it would change the next time.
    Dear God please make Iyke grow to a Man that is late mother would be proud of.
    May frank find a good woman that will take care of them both and help him heal.
    God please I pray for those going through health issues,please heal them.
    Dear God,help me too.
    Toinlioucs God will bless you.

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  17. This is sad. For 'fregs' like me who don't like hospitals and believe the cure to everything is sleeping it off, it is certainly a word to the wise. Thanks for sharing dear.

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  18. Thanks for this, Toin. Got my heart pounding...neither cancer nor death is a respecter beauty or stature or social standing.

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  19. Wow, some memories refreshed. I so wish she made it!

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  20. Awwww! So sad! I lost my sister-in-law to cancer last year and for the first time, I really understood how tough it is to battle with cancer. In fact, it's worse than H.I.V. It practically sucks life out of its victim, especially when it's not diagnosed early enough. We have so many Ophelias around us today! May god keep us all safe and of course, we should watch our health too!

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  21. A heart-wrenching post and a beautiful tribute to Ophelia. Thank you for sharing.

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  22. Awwww, this is so painful. I said a prayer for Iyke.

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  23. Awww, i wish she made it. Thanks for sharing!

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  24. This is so disheartening. Sometimes life happens, and we lack an explanation for it. Once knew someone from church, way back University days, with whom I reconnected in my church here in Lagos. The next time I saw her, she had been disfigured by the aftermath of brain tumor. She had gone for surgery in India, because she said doctors in Nigeria were unwilling to touch her, and came back alive. I was so thrilled at her survival, and was even getting ready to feature her on my blog as a testimony of God's miraculous healing, only to see her sister weeks later, and she told me she had relapsed and died. It was a sad one, but really, what can one say? I pray that God comforts the families of the departed.

    By the way, do stop by at my new blog site, which I am currently upgrading and tweaking until I have the desired look and feel that I want. Thank you.

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  25. I hope you are better now, kpele.

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  26. sad

    http://trendysturvs.blogspot.com/

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  27. Lost my mum to something similar... Must say, I have never really recovered.
    Totally sucks... Totally, totally!!!

    Cancer Awareness Month though? Didn't know that

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  28. Hmm... Even men have breast cancer now. It's already grown to 3% prevalence in Ghana. It might be more in Nigeria if we check. Be Well... Be Safe... Be Blessed... SHALOM

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  29. oh no...just when all seemed well again. may God bless and keep her family, may her soul RIP.
    very touvhing post. very sad.

    new blog post. i believe am back for good.

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  30. Blessings.....
    "C" has no regards for age, class, gender or body parts.
    interesting read...
    have a great week

    peace.
    Rhapsody
    http://rappingonamelody.blogspot.ca/
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    https://plus.google.com/101099217204323189067
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  31. I really like the style and content of your blog. Great job. It will do you a lot of good to visit and follow the Legalnaija blawg where we inform Nigerians about their civil rights, duties and obligations under the law.‎
    http://legalnaija.blogspot.com 

    Cheers ‎

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  32. OMG! Sad.may she RIP.illness and death is indeed no respecter of anyone...
    http://imperfectlyperfect92.wordpress.com

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  33. That's so sad. It just reminds us that we should take care of ourselves and maximize our days while we're still alive.

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  34. Very sad but profound message. One of my neighbors was buried today. She died of Cancer and she has a little daughter. It really isn't a respecter of persons.

    Thanks for the warm welcome!

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  35. oh no, i hoped for a happy ending. may her soul rest in peace thanks for raising awareness.

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Hit me nicely