“To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under Heaven,
a time to be born, and a time to die,
a time to plant, and a time to pluck that which was planted…
a time to tear, and a time to sew,
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak…”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-7 (The Maxwell’s leadership bible)
The story you are about to read is Based on a True story (yes leave it like that). It is still a true story. I have shared this story with just one person of recent and summarized it briefly to about a gathering of 11. Today, however, for the sake of posterity, I shall share it here on my blog.
The date was October 3rd 2003.
That was all I remembered.
Rewinding back a bit, I’m back in UNIBEN and had just finished from my routine dance rehearsals with FLAMES. I couldn’t rehearse properly because I was feeling feverish and so I left for my room located off campus (osasogie for those who know Uniben). The next day was a Saturday and still having signs of the fever, I proceeded to my friend’s house in town for proper medical care seeing as they are all doctors in the house. As God will have it, I got to the gate of the house, pressed the bell and slumped.
Everything written from this point is as I was told.
I was found on the floor foaming from the mouth and was rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). I spent 8 days in the hospital with my family by my side and all this while, I was connected to an oxygen ‘machine’ (actually, a gas cylinder with a pipe leading to my nose/mouth). I couldn’t recognize anyone. My mum daily reading bible passages to me. She never left my side. And on the 7th day, it happened. All vital signs ceased. I was wheeled into the emergency ward and 2 hours later certified dead. Yup. D-E-A-D!. My dad was called to the doctor’s office and told this news, he wept like a baby but had to man up and tell my mum, my elder brother and sister as well as my kid sis. As I type this now, I realize how hard this must have been for him and I’m shaking all over, Tears are actually forming in my eyes. My mum screamed and wailed “No! NO! NOOOO!!!”
Meanwhile, I was put in a body bag enroute the morgue. My brother (steveHarris) told me later on that he requested to see me and he and my elder sister came to where I lay lifeless and cried their eyes out while muttering short prayers. That same day, the Union of Doctors embarked on a nationwide strike and being a federal hospital, UBTH had to join in. a circular was released to the effect of families coming to relocate their loved ones to other hospitals. My parents had to move their son in a body bag back to Lagos for burial.
8 hours after, the death certificate was prepared. (I should take a picture of it someday). The room where I lay was open. A nurse was passing by and then she let out a loud scream. The body bag was moving! My folks ran in and there I was gasping for air..i was immediately put back on oxygen and the emotions all around were better experienced, unfortunately, I missed out and as such can’t explain it here explicitly. This oxygen contained in a small gas cylinder was going to last just a short while and all doctors were on strike. (only student doctors-in-training were present) I had to be moved to lagos asap. Long story short, I was arranged to be transferred to Havana hospital and getting to berger in Lagos, the oxygen finished. Yup. I died again. No breathing, no nothing. I was in the back seat lying between my mum and a student doctor (my fellowship pastor) who had accompanied us at the risk of losing his medical status if anything went wrong. With major traffic at Berger, we got to Havana specialist hospital after about 45mins. I was told that I opened my eyes as we got to the entrance of the hospital. Another miracle, right? I stayed at Havana for 3 months. Actually, I was in a coma for 3 months and all that time, my mum and family never left my side. (well, my lil sis had to go write GCE sha 😀 )
After all was said and done, I was diagnosed as having “Viral Encephalitis” (my knowledge of medicine is lame so..¯\..(•͡.̮ •͡ )../¯ ) but it has to do with inflammation of the brain and causes memory loss etc (I couldn’t recognize people after treatment so I had my friend go everywhere with me in school to avoid ‘that awkward moment when someone says, “Kelvin, whats up?” And I’m like “do I know you?”)
I was also taught to walk again because I was bed ridden for 3 months. Dammit my leg muscles were dead. I have a scar on the right part of my head, where my skull was drilled to access some liquid in my spine or something. At the point of discharge, we were told some sad news.
“those who survive Viral encephalitis are prone to some form of permanent disability. Blindness, deafness, or body paralysis”..well not my portion and definitely not me. Nothing of that sort happened to me but then again, that must have been how I lost my mind.. 😀
Now, to the essence of this post.
I Thank God for keeping me and no one needed to tell me to give my life to Him afterall, He had proven that whatever is kept in His hands, He’s able to keep. Yes, like Mr Virgin ‘toxic’. I’m proudly Team Jesus all the way. Now, that ‘death experience’ made me better. Gave me more reason to live. For there to be life, there has to be death. Where am I going with this?
I’m quitting this blog.
I’m not closing it down like I wanted to but I’m officially off till whenever..(I started blogging when I read NaijaFineboy’s blog. Though he doesn’t blog again, he didn’t close it)…you can view it here , so there’s the possibility someone might read this someday and be inspired.
Here’s my reason though: there are so many blogs out there and we can’t deny that quality has become questionable. Content is drab and we now have nothing to write on but Twitter and about people on twitter. To a large extent, I KNOW that I contributed to this phenom and I’m not in any way pleased about it. Allowing my personal life on there was a big lesson (which I’ve learnt) and even the “In the NEWS” section of my blog still contains IMO low content and quality. I know I’m better than this. I would rather associate myself with good writers under one blog (like Afrosays or The Naked Convos) rather than churn out stuff not ‘tight’ enough. This is a time to better myself, sit at the feet of the masters and learn.
You may wonder how quitting my blog will aid or stop this. Well it may not, heck! No one will even notice BUT I will always feel good knowing I wasn’t part of the problem but among those who sought a solution, and what better way to spew better posts than bettering oneself?
I do hope to feature on blogs as Guest whenever I’m invited. (invite me please) I must apologise to all those who may frown at this decision but I plead that you allow me do this for me. For those who have sent me posts for ‘Sunday Guest’, I’m so sorry. I can forward them to any blogger friends of mine if you desire..*sigh*™
Ah well, this is my swan song. Hopefully, others who are ‘contaminating’ Blogsville will realize their folly and take a cue. While everyone is entitled to write whatever, do so with creativity, writing skill, love and respect. But even if they don’t, those with quality blogs will yet again shine through.
I ‘resurrected’ after three months back then in 2003 and came back better, it could happen again.
And oh! This doesn’t make me the ‘sacrificial lamb’ oh. I’m definitely not trying to be a martyr (is that spelt right?) Or ‘die’ for anyone’s ‘sins’..I’m just doing what my heart and head tell me to do now.
“…except a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone: but if it dies, it produces much grain…” John 12:24
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