You Need to Read this Uplifting Story of a Surgeon & Other Nigerians Defying all Odds to Rescue an Asthmatic Patient
You must have heard stories of people trying to help a dying person but ended up regretting such act of kindness due to poor security and consequent increase in criminal activities.
This story would have been the same story of an unlucky sick Nigerian who ended up dying because a passerby was too scared to help.
The uplifting and inspiring story is about a Nigerian surgeon who made the first move in helping an asthmatic patient who fell on the road. His sympathetic act attracted other Nigerians who contributed to the rescue of the sick patient.
Read the thread below:
I SAVED A LIFE 2 DAYS AGO!!!
I'm not usually one to do this but I've seen a few tweets today which have subtly encouraged me to do more and therefore I believe that my story do the same for others.
Y'all would wonder what I mean by my heading, I'll explain
A THREAD…
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
I was headed home from work at about 8.30pm after being in theatre from 7am till just before leaving work. I was negotiating the bend off Ikorodu road, at Anthony; the Gbagada inlet road where Bertola Machines limited is located. This was the scene of this lifechanging event…
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
I also saw two men coming in the opposite direction to me, about one third the length of the road away from me. One man on each side of the road. The man on the opposite side of the road to me immediately caught my attention as I got into the road fully… 🤔
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
I could not make out what he was doing but it was clear he was now desperate and in a losing battle. I had not yet built up speed, having just negotiated a sharp bend and the distraction from him further stopped me doing so. I was till trying to make sense of it when suddenly…
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
In the last moment before he got to the ground full, I saw what appeared to be a small white puff of smoke coming out of his mouth and nose. The breeze quickly blew this away. It was till he fell to the ground and his hands fell to his sides that I understood what just happened!
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
He must have suffered an acute asthmatic attack and he was too shaken to use his rescue inhaler or attack was too severe to be relieved by his inhalers. Whichever the case, I was faced with a clear medical emergency and I had to react. The Nigerian and Lagosian me was triggered🤦🏾♂️
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
Do I look the other way and save myself for self preservation from both hoodlums and ignorant people at the cost of a young man's life?!
If the attack did not kill him, the truck surely could have!
Do I follow my medical instinct with the risk of exposing myself to danger?!— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
Somehow i was so sure that I would come on twitter, instagram or so the next day, and see the story of his death and I'd forever live with the guilt.
That was all i needed and immediately I veered off to the side of the road, parked and put on my hazard lights in one full swoop
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
He was clearly in severe respiratory distress, gasping and I could hear him wheezing so loudly without need for my stethoscope. He was conscious but delirious and largely unresponsive.
I grabbed his inhalers while tugging at his shirt to loosen his buttons and then belt buckle 🥵— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
Out of the nearby offices a couple of other guys came out and after asking what happened, started to help. We moved him to the side of the road and after a quick examination, I placed him in a position to keep his airway maximally patent. I made sure I was the one leading and…
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
I asked how he got here and how we could get through to his relatives. That was when I got my first heartbreak. He was on his way back from work with his last funds when he started to have the attack. He stopped somewhere and pawned (sold) his phone to buy a new Ventolin inhaler
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
He would enter the last major bus that would get him a reasonable distance close to his house. It was during this trek that he had this severe, disabling attack. He was heading to Ijesha.
It was a shocking story.
Fortunately for us, he was able to recall his sister's number…— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
for Randle General hospital which was his usual hospital and close to his house and some relatives/friends.
We unanimously agreed that using an @UberNigeria would be the safest way to get him there.THE NIGERIAN SPIRIT BRINGS ME SOME HOPE!
While I had been interviewing him…
— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
When the @UberNigeria driver arrived, he was obviously taken aback by what he met. 15-20 guys standing around a young man who was sitting on the side of the road.
I quickly explained to the Uber guy who agreed after expressing his fears and collecting my number for back up…— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
He got into the taxi and was taken away. We all looked at ourselves, thanked ourselves, lamented as the Nigerians we are and eventually dispersed.
I must confess, I received a lot of accolades as most of them said my quick response and coordination of the situation was what…— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
encouraged them to even come close and render help. They would otherwise have been scared for same reasons I earlier tried to highlight.
I headed home.
Not more than 10mins after i got home, I got a call from the @UberNigeria driver to tell me he was safe at the hospital…— Dr. Oldman (@DrUdechukwu) October 26, 2019
The post You Need to Read this Uplifting Story of a Surgeon & Other Nigerians Defying all Odds to Rescue an Asthmatic Patient appeared first on BellaNaija - Showcasing Africa to the world. Read today!.
source https://www.bellanaija.com/2019/10/nigerian-doctor-saves-asthmatic-patient-in-lagos/
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