A recent wave of reactions online following the tragic loss of Chimamanda’s son, reportedly linked to medical negligence, has once again drawn attention to the silent struggles many patients endure within the healthcare system.
While expressing deep sadness over the incident, a Nigerian professional and consultant has shared her own harrowing experience with medical complications—one that could easily have ended as another untold story.
According to her account, the ordeal began after undergoing a medical procedure at what she described as a “premium hospital,” where a significant amount of money was paid. Shortly after the procedure, she lost her voice completely. What was expected to be temporary stretched into weeks, turning into a seven-week battle marked by fear, frustration and uncertainty.
Five weeks into the condition, she returned to the hospital to complain, only to be told she would have to pay an additional ₦175,000 just to see the doctor. A chance encounter with the doctor during a heated exchange offered no relief. She described him as cold and indifferent, noting that the millions already paid appeared to count for nothing. Disheartened, she and her husband left the hospital and resolved to seek help elsewhere.
However, emotional exhaustion and anger kept her from immediately pursuing another medical opinion. She returned home and tried to live through the ordeal, gradually coming to terms with the possibility that her voice might never return.
Throughout this period, her husband became her strongest pillar. Daily reassurances such as, “As long as I am alive, this voice will return. I will do everything I can,” helped steady her through the darkest moments. He explored every possible remedy—traditional mixtures of lemon, lime, cloves, ginger and warm water, alongside prescribed medications—in a bid to support her recovery.
The voice loss took a toll on her professional life. She cancelled speaking engagements, consulting sessions and teaching duties. Planned recordings for tax classes on new laws had to be shelved. Eventually, mounting pressure forced her to accept limited one-on-one sessions, each beginning with an apology for her strained voice.
At the height of her fear, she quietly reached out to a doctor friend, expressing intentions to sue the hospital. Coincidentally, the friend knew the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, who intervened promptly. The CMD later called to apologise and arranged for her to see an ENT specialist flying in from the United States.
By the time the specialist arrived in Nigeria, she had travelled to her village. During that period away, her voice gradually returned as the damaged voice box healed. She eventually made a full recovery without seeing the visiting specialist, though the hospital continued to check on her wellbeing and expressed regret over the incident.
Reflecting on the experience, she admitted that she might never have shared the story publicly if not for conversations with close family and friends after her recovery. While cooking and chatting freely at home one day, loved ones confessed how terrified they had been that she might permanently lose her voice. It was then she fully realised how much her husband had shielded her from fear, constantly rising to reassure her whenever anxiety set in.
She credited her calm through seven weeks of silence to her husband’s unwavering support, describing him as someone with a “PhD in calming fears.”
Now fully recovered, she expressed profound gratitude to God, her family, and especially her husband, whom she described as “the husband of my youth,” for standing firmly by her side.
Her story serves as a sobering reminder that even in reputable hospitals, medical errors can occur—and that, ultimately, life and healing remain in God’s hands, regardless of cost, expertise or reputation.
Photos accompanying the story show her moments before the procedure in hospital attire during a breathing test, and a visit from her older brother shortly after the procedure, during her brief hospital stay surrounded by family.
No comments:
Post a Comment