TO WHAT BENEFIT…

By Chidiebele Samuel

The condition was really life threatening; a potential killer for the 72 year old. He has a big swelling on one of his blood vessels that if not operated on will likely lead to his death if it bursts. Emma remembers the discussion he had with the surgeon, Dr Ike, in the company of his siblings. They were also told that the surgery to fix the problem was a particularly risky one that may lead to the death of their father. During the discussion, they were also told that some materials to be used for the surgery would be sourced from outside the country. This means that they will likely pay for them as they are very expensive and needs to be sent to the hospital by manufacturer.

He also had to sell his car and his piece of land to be able to fund the expenses involved in getting the surgery done.

On the eve of the surgery, the surgeon again informed him of the enormous risk involved and that only about 30% of people actually do survive the surgery emphasizing the need for knowledge of the risks.

The next day, following about 6 hours in theatre, they took his father to Intensive care unit (ICU) for critical and special care. The surgeon told him that the surgery was successful and that the next 24 hours is crucial in determining survival. He informed him that his father is in a form of sedation to help him in his recovery.

18 hours later, he observed flurry of activity in the ICU. People were going in and coming out. Moments later, Dr Ike came out to tell him that there is a problem and his father needs to be taken back into the theatre. Within the next 15 minutes, his father was back in the theatre for the second surgery.

2 hours later, Dr Ike was with him to give him the bad news- that his father has died. “We did everything we can”, he said. “We are really sorry for your loss”.

Emma left the room, very sad and depressed. Although, this was one of the expected outcomes, he never really gave deep thought towards that. He always believed his father will survive. “Well, he did what he should do as a man”, he thought to himself. Although he knows this event has put him in a very difficult financial situation, he needed to do it for his dad. “Now he has to prepare for his funeral-Another huge financial task” he said to himself with a sigh.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental

©2018

This is dedicated to all friends and relatives of our patients. They directly (and indirectly) bear the burden of taking care of their sick especially in our system that has very poor health insurance coverage. As Helen Keller once said “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence”. We love you all!