British Airways scary flight and THIS IS NOT RIGHT I decided to board a British Airways flight to the UK after so many years. On a good day, I would not have; I hate British arrogance especially if Im enclosed in an aircraft from here I cant walk away! Their usual spraying of the cabin with air disinfectant irritates me. I also notice this is only done on flights outside Nigeria. I have never seen them do that on flights from their country. Earlier at check-in, I had called my booking officer and raved over why he didnt reserve seat for me. He said he forgot or something like that. So I was forced to take up the last but one seat at the back, very close to the toilet. Little did I know God placed me there for a reason. Okay, so cabin sprayed, we took off! One hour-plus or so into flight. I was watching Nelson Mandelas LONG WALK TO FREEDOM. Then I noticed pandemonium ahead on the row of seats in the middle. People got up frantically. Ear pieces falling off. Some forgetting they were plugged and dragged them along. Passengers abandoned lunch and moved away covering their nostrils. I saw an old woman walk to the back towards the toilet. The cabin crew went to her seat and and bent down as though to clean up something. Then the bad smell oozed to where I was. Then the air hostesses and hosts began to spray the cabin with air freshener Everybody was moving up and down. I knew all was not well. After a while, The woman in the toilet hadnt come out so I became concerned. I got up, Went to the crew at the back and asked what the matter was. An old woman defecated everywhere from her seat to the toilet they told me. So I asked if she was the one in the toilet and if she was alright. Yeah she is the one and she will be fine she told me. I wasnt convinced. The old woman had stayed in the toilet for too long. I waited a bit Went to the toilet door, Knocked Got no answer Knocked some more Got no answer Then I called the air hostess to please check on her. ow, Shes origh she said and I insisted the old woman must be checked immediately. She pushed aside the toilet door and mama s head was on her right shoulder. From the door where I was standing, I kept a gaze on her left neck to check for the rising and falling of the heart beat. Thankfully, It was there. A bit irregular though. There was poo all over the toilet floor It was all over her cloth On the wall And it was a very bad stench. As a daughter of parents in the medical field, I knew the woman was in trouble and was probably dehydrated. I stepped into the toilet and asked mama what the matter was. My stomach churned. She opened her palms as if to say she had no idea. I asked if this was her first flight She nodded a no Does she have a medical history? Diabetes? Hypertension? Stroke? Same nod. So I went to the crew and asked if they had ORS so we could administer They were reluctant because according to them, they had to infirm the pilot. Meanwhile, mama was still draining fluids per second per second and her head kept falling as often as I tried to rouse her from the slumber. I asked the crew to announce if there was a doctor or nurse on board. They went and returned with a lady doctor. She asked me what the matter was and I told her what I knew. I asked her to please check her pulse rate. Luckily it wasnt that bad. She went back and called another doctor friend and the three of us waited on this old woman. The cabin crew was busy serving food and drinks and one of them came and said the woman says she speaks oroba (Yoruba). So I began to ask her questions in Yoruba as the doctors asked me to. We demanded for ORS and began to prod the woman to sip. She barley could hold her cup. A sip Some sleep I would call mama e am sun o ( mama dont sleep)..... We managed to keep her awake. We asked for a sphygmomanometer, they didnt have. We asked for a lancing device to monitor sugar level, they didnt have. So we were managing mama blindly. ........ ........... We were on our feet for the duration of the flight until it was one hour to landing So we decided to clean mama up after stabilizing her She was able to tell us that she was diabetic but we had no way of checking We asked for a sleep wear, we got one We asked for wipes, they didnt have We asked for pampers, they didnt have. The dilemma of cleaning mama up became more difficult at this point. So one of the doctors went berserk and asked how prepared they were for emergencies. Please give us wet facial towels. We got a pack of six dry towels and the doctor was surprised that they were not soaked in hot water. The air hostess ran her hot water over the towels and the doctor asked for another pack which was reluctantly given to us. They also said they had almost run out of hand gloves because they had used them up cleaning the seats and floor. So we used the cabin curtain at the back to conceal the toilet area. I held the curtain while the doctors worked on cleaning mama up. Her soiled clothes were put in a nylon bag and she was dressed in a black sleep wear. I went to my bag and took my sanitizing cream and my hand bag perfume. We sanitized our hands and perfumed our bodies. Besides, one of the doctors was nursing an infant. I took down the address of mama on the pilotss instruction. We landed and the medics came in. Mama , you are safe now. Oloun a fun yin ni alafiya (May God give you healing) I told her as I disembarked. One of the doctors and I eventually became good friends and we dropped her off at her place before I went home. We are still in touch. ............ ........... On my way back last week At Heathrow Airport, I had gone to weigh my luggages Some people were speaking Yoruba behind me and were a bit loud. I looked back and guess who I saw... Same ol mama looking well sporting a pink overall, jeans and sports canvas. Excitedly I walked up to her and greeted her. I commented on how good she looked and asked is she remembered me. She said I looked familiar So I hugged her tightly because all the while, she never left my mind as I kept wishing I knew how she was faring. So I told her I was one of those who looked after her in the aircraft when she took ill on our way here. She screamed and hugged me Her children, two ladies and a gentleman, who had been looking at us all the while also erupted with joy thanking me and saying they didnt know how to contact us. Mama and I boarded the same flight back to Abuja. Our seats were very close and I kept a close watch on her. Thankfully our journey back was smooth and mama was fine all through. Not once did she use the bathroom. When we landed, she asked for my numbers and saved them as Plane helper... ...last night I got a surprise call It was from her.. I was very happy She was too. I will return the call and probably go and see her someday. This is what happened on British Airways.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 04:53:43 +0000
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