Overcoming Death With Courage When I woke up on August 7, 2014 with my spirit persuading me to salute the exceptional heroic courage of Dr. Kent Brantly, who contracted the killer Ebola virus while caring for EBV patients in Liberia, I never knew I would be compelled to pay a tribute to my mom on the same day. Brantly’s action was characteristic of the fourteenth century Christian missionaries who performed unusual acts of love that merited them the title, “Saints” by the religious system of that period. There’s yet no known cure or vaccine for Ebola with its mortality rate of up to 90% according to CNN. But when ZMapp, a drug that’s still undergoing clinical trial was flown to Monrovia to treat Brantly, he was reported to have ceded its use to Nancy Writebol, a missionary who was also struck with Ebola. The drug was just one vial (1 dosage) that arrived at the center where the two patients were isolated and was meant for Brantly. But like I said a while ago, Brantly said it should be administered to his colleague, Nancy. Wa-aaoh! Knowing that he had little or no chance of survival without the drug, what did Brantly mean? Does it suggest he was saying, “Nancy, you deserve to live, more than I do? I wish to die in the hope that you’ll live.” I thought I could say that Brantly looked death in the face and said, “You ain’t gonna do me nothing. I know I have got the Ebola but that does not mean my time is up!” When the whole world is struck with panic because of the dreaded Ebola virus and other strange diseases, we could dust-up our faith and say with courage to death, “my time’s not yet come. I’ve got to live yet!” Brantly is now receiving treatment at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta and is said to be improving dramatically. Yet whether he lives or dies in the body, he lives in my heart and memory because of that act of heroic love. I have never been face-to-face with a scenario when I was told I would die. But I was close to a very dear friend whom doctors told he had a terminal condition for which medical science presented no solution. Therefore he was told the date he would die and was advised not to waste his money seeking medical cure. Unfortunately, my friend never did provide the answer to the question I seek to unravel because we never knew his state of affairs until after his death. My question is, how would you feel/how does someone feel to know that you’re going to die? Not really. I mean not the general awareness each of us have of death that we’re going to die someday. I mean, how does it feel if you’re sure you would die on a specific date based on medical analysis and findings? If you or your loved one had Ebola and the condition keeps deteriorating by the minutes, he thinks he would die, right? That’s it! How does it feel to know you or your loved one would die in the next few minutes/hours/days? I harbored these perturbations on my mind throughout the day without the conscious premonition that death was in my home. In the evening, my instinct urged me to call home only to find out that Mom was struggling with death. Did she know she would die? She could not speak with me like she did on Monday. I received a call two hours later that Mom had left us. As I commiserate with the world and with all who’ve lost their loved ones to insurgencies/wars in Syria, Gaza, Ukraine, Iraq, Boko Haram in Nigeria and the current Ebola pandemic, I announce to the world of the departure of my Mom to the great beyond. To my brothers, sisters, in-laws, neighbours, well-wishers, friends and foes; and all who are moved to tears at this necessary exit, let’s not mourn her. Let’s celebrate her; her life and times. For we know that Mom has gone to where she had always spoken about and had wanted to be: She’s gone to fulfil our hopes in her eternal home with God for ever. Odo-Agbo Simonmary - Odo-Agbo Victoria Ijeoma Simon, Fidelis Chibumdu, Odo Gideon Sunday, Andrew Eloka-eboka, Victoria Inyang, Onyeomabueze Uba, Chukwuma Ono, Ono Kaibaby, Ngozi Kalu Achi, Elom Glad Ken, Uche Joseph Odo, Ngwu Udu Christian, Emmanuel Odo, Emmanuel Etu-Odo, Jude Iloghalu, Raymond Nwegede, Peter Omogo, Emma Eze, Nedu Anya,
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:10:57 +0000
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