Isn't it just wonderful that Ameyo continues to be honoured. Her Obituary appeared in the British Medical Journal of 7 th February 2015.
 |
| Ameyo in the British Medical Journal of 7th Feb 2015 |
Showing posts with label Ebola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ebola. Show all posts
Monday, 9 February 2015
Honouring Nigeria's hero- Ameyo Adadevoh's obituary in BMJ of 7 th Feb2015
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death…Dr. Ada Igonoh survived Ebola – This is her Story
http://www.bellanaija.com/2014/09/15/must-read-through-the-valley-of-the-shadow-of-death-dr-ada-igonoh-survived-ebola-this-is-her-story/
Courtesy of Bella Naija. Here is the link to the story of a junior colleague of Dr Adadevoh who survived the Ebola virus. It is quite long, but worth a read.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
At the evening of tributes for Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh
At the evening of tributes for Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, I looked around the room packed to capacity, and the various people who had come to honour her as I did. The tributes were drawn from various constituencies; childhood friends, university friends, family members and professional colleagues. There was an air of expectancy. The sum total of what everyone said was the same; that Ameyo was consistent through her whole life in displaying the strength of character that was evident in her handling the Ebola index case .
The following morning, in my devotion I read two scriptures which brought Ameyo to mind, in the context of how her life has been a true example of the messages contained in them.
(1) John 15:16 | NIV
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
(2) Genesis 1:28 NLT
Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground."
John15:16 says to me that God chose Ameyo first and that His choice is centred on purpose. The purpose is to bear fruit. An expression of the divine mandate given to Adam and Eve at the origin of human history, and also He said in Genesis 1:28 ' be fruitful and multiply'
Fruitfulness
What is the evidence of fruitfulness? There is scripture that says 'by their fruits you will know them'. That is, whatever fruits we bear will be self evident.
It takes time for fruit to grow and ripen. Before fruit comes, there has been a process leading up to this. In the first place, a seed is sown. The seed goes into the ground and dies before the new life bursts forth from it in the form of a seedling. The seedling goes through many growth stages before it reaches maturity as a bush or a tree. Many unseen things go on while the seed is underground, before it's shoots come up through the soil.
In the same way, God uses the seed of our life's choices in an unseen manner until an appointed time when our character shows through, and exactly what kind of plant we are becomes evident. Once the shoot comes through, the new plant must undergo a lot of necessary stages in order to grow into a healthy tree. There will be dew and rain, sometimes with storms and flood, there will be the sun, sometimes with scorching heat, there will be cool breezes, and sometimes punishing strong winds. And then there is the mystical element of life itself which God had already put in the seed, which carries the DNA of the particular plant.
All these elemental effects are absolutely necessary for a plant to survive and grow into a strong tree. In the same way, the vicissitudes of our lives train us up in character and strength so that we will grow into a tree who's DNA is the character of God. That is what I believe God is about when we read about man being created in His own image.
Once the tree is established with firm roots in the soil, the leaves multiply and in due season it yields fruit. The identification of the tree is made clear from both the fruit, the leaves, and the configuration of the stem and branches. The characteristics of these can be related to the environment in which the tree is planted. Some trees have deep tap roots, some a shallow but widespread root system, while some have aerial roots and so on. Some plants survive through the most hostile environments, and in the same way some human beings pull through in a victorious , fruitful manner despite the odds stacked against them. This is the core evidence of fruitfulness. In the eye of adversity, the mettle of each of us is tested and the hard knocks of life become opportunities to display the power of Godly character.
When the news of the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria first hit our ears, I am sure many people were praying that the tide of destruction that it brings will be stopped. That it will be removed from our environment. We had no idea that our prayers aligned with God's will and purpose for Ameyo's life, and that the answer to that prayer would bring about the clear evidence of the 'fruit' of her life and a fulfilment of it. Her mandate as a Christian which I've extracted from Genesis1:28, was to :
- be fruitful
- to multiply
- to have dominion
- to be a good steward
These traits are clearly seen in full measure in her life, and that is why I rejoice for her life, and join millions of people who honour and celebrate her. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is with The Lord. These are the things that I have learnt from Ameyo's life.
Ameyo's fruitfulness:
-Kindness
-Sacrificial giving
-Generosity
-Bringing her sparkle to any where she is
Ameyo multiplied:
- healing to so many
- goodwill
- gave of herself personally and professionally
Ameyo had dominion:
- excellence in academics and medical practice
- keeping firmly to her resolve not to allow the index case to leave her charge
- positive influence in her sphere
Ameyo was a good steward:
- she used her talent and skill sets to serve others
Her family
Her friends
Her profession
Her nation
Bright is the light of Ameyo's life. She has borne fruit that will last for years to come. She is truly legendary and a beacon of light in her generation, and definitely a heroine.
What is the evidence of fruitfulness? There is scripture that says 'by their fruits you will know them'. That is, whatever fruits we bear will be self evident.
It takes time for fruit to grow and ripen. Before fruit comes, there has been a process leading up to this. In the first place, a seed is sown. The seed goes into the ground and dies before the new life bursts forth from it in the form of a seedling. The seedling goes through many growth stages before it reaches maturity as a bush or a tree. Many unseen things go on while the seed is underground, before it's shoots come up through the soil.
In the same way, God uses the seed of our life's choices in an unseen manner until an appointed time when our character shows through, and exactly what kind of plant we are becomes evident. Once the shoot comes through, the new plant must undergo a lot of necessary stages in order to grow into a healthy tree. There will be dew and rain, sometimes with storms and flood, there will be the sun, sometimes with scorching heat, there will be cool breezes, and sometimes punishing strong winds. And then there is the mystical element of life itself which God had already put in the seed, which carries the DNA of the particular plant.
All these elemental effects are absolutely necessary for a plant to survive and grow into a strong tree. In the same way, the vicissitudes of our lives train us up in character and strength so that we will grow into a tree who's DNA is the character of God. That is what I believe God is about when we read about man being created in His own image.
Once the tree is established with firm roots in the soil, the leaves multiply and in due season it yields fruit. The identification of the tree is made clear from both the fruit, the leaves, and the configuration of the stem and branches. The characteristics of these can be related to the environment in which the tree is planted. Some trees have deep tap roots, some a shallow but widespread root system, while some have aerial roots and so on. Some plants survive through the most hostile environments, and in the same way some human beings pull through in a victorious , fruitful manner despite the odds stacked against them. This is the core evidence of fruitfulness. In the eye of adversity, the mettle of each of us is tested and the hard knocks of life become opportunities to display the power of Godly character.
When the news of the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria first hit our ears, I am sure many people were praying that the tide of destruction that it brings will be stopped. That it will be removed from our environment. We had no idea that our prayers aligned with God's will and purpose for Ameyo's life, and that the answer to that prayer would bring about the clear evidence of the 'fruit' of her life and a fulfilment of it. Her mandate as a Christian which I've extracted from Genesis1:28, was to :
- be fruitful
- to multiply
- to have dominion
- to be a good steward
These traits are clearly seen in full measure in her life, and that is why I rejoice for her life, and join millions of people who honour and celebrate her. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is with The Lord. These are the things that I have learnt from Ameyo's life.
Ameyo's fruitfulness:
-Kindness
-Sacrificial giving
-Generosity
-Bringing her sparkle to any where she is
Ameyo multiplied:
- healing to so many
- goodwill
- gave of herself personally and professionally
Ameyo had dominion:
- excellence in academics and medical practice
- keeping firmly to her resolve not to allow the index case to leave her charge
- positive influence in her sphere
Ameyo was a good steward:
- she used her talent and skill sets to serve others
Her family
Her friends
Her profession
Her nation
Bright is the light of Ameyo's life. She has borne fruit that will last for years to come. She is truly legendary and a beacon of light in her generation, and definitely a heroine.
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Devastating psychological effects in our society
I write these opinions which have been drawn from observing people, life and myself. Some are ideas that I have mulled over for many years, and share now. My long standing ideas have been brought to the fore because of the recent outbreak of Ebola in Nigeria.
As I watched the news and read about the Ebola virus and it's deadly effects, I also thought about emotional and psychological traumas that may be up scaled as well. I think this not just to the families of victims, but the fact that a psyche of fear on new levels has been unleashed into our society. Shouldn't we look at psychological support in our communities in the same way flu shots are recommended in certain seasons , and also anti histamines in hay fever season. In Nigeria, we already live with daily uncertainty with sporadic power and water supply, Boko Haram bombings, kidnaping and related crimes, armed robbery, stress inducing traffic congestion, corruption and inequity. The upshot of this list of pressures is that people react in various ways to protect themselves, and to bring comforting solutions to the deep rooted feelings of fear that this high octane environment generates.
The attendant 'unseen' mental health issues can become compounded because they are not acknowledged, and therefore not recognised. It is particularly difficult to unearth the root cause of these stresses and traumas in Nigerian Christiandom, because we have popular 'Christianese' parlance that masks what is happening. While I am a big advocate of ' faking it until you make it' , I still think there should be room for the mental space required to take a hard look at how people are feeling and acknowledging what is actually going on. A friend who was suffering from a blinding migraine declared ' ori'nfo ota mi' which literally means ' my enemy has a headache' in Yoruba . Similar 'Naija Christianese' brought about a bizzare situation in which a subordinate calls and says ' sorry I won't be at work today because I am strong'. What would be wrong with saying ' I am down with malaria and I am believing God for healing, I am on malaria therapy, and I pray that it works as it is designed to'. What would be wrong with that?
There is so much stigma attached to the idea of mental health problems in our culture, and this stigmatisation further compounds whatever problems an individual may have. When anyone declares they want to get married, the traditional thing is to ' go and find out about the family' , which is a euphemism for 'check if there is madness in the family'. The truth is, every family has someone who has one mental health challenge or other, the question is; to what degree.
There is almost no other ailment affecting mankind that is rampantly left untreated like mental illness.
I often think of mental health issues as a haemorrhaging of a healthy human being. If any individual was heamouraging from a wound, the natural reaction would be to rush them to get treatment and stop the bleeding. There would be no negative attention attached to that. However, mental illness is not treated with the same seriousness or immediacy. It is a serious issue in which the individual's essence is actually being eroded until they are incapacitated by the parts of themselves that have now become distorted, just like one would be incapacitated with reduced blood content from a haemorrhaging wound. The remnant person with untreated mental illness is a shadow of what they could be, and inter connections and bonds with others may become strained or difficult, or even cut off. To me, a psychological trauma can be a transient episode or event which can lead to mental illness if not addressed appropriately.
Everyone has experienced a cold or a cough, or some other common ailment like a headache at sometime in their lives. We accept that these are part of our lives and take cold remedies, cough mixtures and analgesics accordingly. Unfortunately, the same treatment is not given to mental illness or psychological trauma which ails every individual in some measure at some point in their lives. Some people get help and overcome it, while some others find ways through their belief system for example to combat it, a small percentage seek professional help. Then there are those who do not even know that they have a small touch of mental illness, which may start out mild, but left untreated, could become chronic, and ultimately lead to other problems. Sometimes, there is no obvious ill effect of this challenge, but I wager something is lying dormant in the deepest recesses of the mind. There are so many walking wounded! The results of hidden psychological traumas are thus played out in behaviours in which people 'act up' or display attitudes that profoundly upset others, especially their nearest and dearest. People carry on suffering in silence, and a litany of broken relationships, dreams and aspirations result.
Perhaps someone will develop a mental health check app, just like a blood pressure check device.
For me, my medicine against anxiety has been a combination of ;
-Recognition of my own attitudes
-Recognition of triggers
-Support from family and friends
-Dependence on the word of God.
In fact, I believe my support network have been enabled by God himself to deliver aspects of healing exactly as I need them. God works through people and circumstances around us to deliver His heart to His children. The bible is replete with phrases with words like 'do not be afraid' and ' do not be anxious' . I researched this and there are various claims about the number of times these phrases and related ones occur. There is a popular message making its rounds in social media which says 365 times; as in one for each day of the year. There are all sorts of statements which just point to the fact that it is a repeated theme.
The important thing to note is that our creator knew how his creation would respond to life's pressures, and how those trigger inherent behaviours He himself sent us to this earth carrying. I have come to realise that the potent mix of life's pressures and my inherent attitudes and behaviours are meant to create a hunger to depend on God. It is a constant battle to keep coming back to the Father for strength, comfort, for healing, to be taught, or rebuked, and ultimately to calm my spirit down and embrace whatever directions He will have me obey. I believe emotions are God given , not just for self expression, but as a warning system for mental health.
So my prayer today is for everyone suffering whether mildly, or acutely from anxiety or depression or mental health challenges triggered by fear of any kind. That they will first of all acknowledge that all is not well, that they will recognise their triggers, that they will become so self aware that their underlying psychological attitudes are revealed. I pray that if need be, they will immediately get professional help. I pray Romans 12:2 becomes a living reality.
I also pray for those who have sudden traumatic events thrust on them, like those in war torn areas and recently , the families of Ebola victims. I pray for grace to endure this very difficult time.
Amen
There is so much stigma attached to the idea of mental health problems in our culture, and this stigmatisation further compounds whatever problems an individual may have. When anyone declares they want to get married, the traditional thing is to ' go and find out about the family' , which is a euphemism for 'check if there is madness in the family'. The truth is, every family has someone who has one mental health challenge or other, the question is; to what degree.
There is almost no other ailment affecting mankind that is rampantly left untreated like mental illness.
I often think of mental health issues as a haemorrhaging of a healthy human being. If any individual was heamouraging from a wound, the natural reaction would be to rush them to get treatment and stop the bleeding. There would be no negative attention attached to that. However, mental illness is not treated with the same seriousness or immediacy. It is a serious issue in which the individual's essence is actually being eroded until they are incapacitated by the parts of themselves that have now become distorted, just like one would be incapacitated with reduced blood content from a haemorrhaging wound. The remnant person with untreated mental illness is a shadow of what they could be, and inter connections and bonds with others may become strained or difficult, or even cut off. To me, a psychological trauma can be a transient episode or event which can lead to mental illness if not addressed appropriately.
Everyone has experienced a cold or a cough, or some other common ailment like a headache at sometime in their lives. We accept that these are part of our lives and take cold remedies, cough mixtures and analgesics accordingly. Unfortunately, the same treatment is not given to mental illness or psychological trauma which ails every individual in some measure at some point in their lives. Some people get help and overcome it, while some others find ways through their belief system for example to combat it, a small percentage seek professional help. Then there are those who do not even know that they have a small touch of mental illness, which may start out mild, but left untreated, could become chronic, and ultimately lead to other problems. Sometimes, there is no obvious ill effect of this challenge, but I wager something is lying dormant in the deepest recesses of the mind. There are so many walking wounded! The results of hidden psychological traumas are thus played out in behaviours in which people 'act up' or display attitudes that profoundly upset others, especially their nearest and dearest. People carry on suffering in silence, and a litany of broken relationships, dreams and aspirations result.
Perhaps someone will develop a mental health check app, just like a blood pressure check device.
For me, my medicine against anxiety has been a combination of ;
-Recognition of my own attitudes
-Recognition of triggers
-Support from family and friends
-Dependence on the word of God.
In fact, I believe my support network have been enabled by God himself to deliver aspects of healing exactly as I need them. God works through people and circumstances around us to deliver His heart to His children. The bible is replete with phrases with words like 'do not be afraid' and ' do not be anxious' . I researched this and there are various claims about the number of times these phrases and related ones occur. There is a popular message making its rounds in social media which says 365 times; as in one for each day of the year. There are all sorts of statements which just point to the fact that it is a repeated theme.
The important thing to note is that our creator knew how his creation would respond to life's pressures, and how those trigger inherent behaviours He himself sent us to this earth carrying. I have come to realise that the potent mix of life's pressures and my inherent attitudes and behaviours are meant to create a hunger to depend on God. It is a constant battle to keep coming back to the Father for strength, comfort, for healing, to be taught, or rebuked, and ultimately to calm my spirit down and embrace whatever directions He will have me obey. I believe emotions are God given , not just for self expression, but as a warning system for mental health. I also pray for those who have sudden traumatic events thrust on them, like those in war torn areas and recently , the families of Ebola victims. I pray for grace to endure this very difficult time.
Amen
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
AN ILLUSTRIOUS FAMILY OF NIGERIAN HEROES
The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) struck at the heart of Nigeria, when Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, a consultant physician, and member of the illustrious Kwaku Adadevoh/Herbert Macaulay/Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowder lineage succumbed to the scourge of the disease.
Dr. Adadevoh contracted the virus from the Liberian, Mr. Patrick Sawyer, who imported the disease into Nigeria.
Sources close to Dr. Adadevoh, 58, said she succumbed to the disease yesterday evening, having been in a coma for some days.
Dr. Adadevoh, who is survived by one son, had led the medical team at First Consultants Medical Centre, a Lagos-based hospital, which treated Sawyer on his arrival in Lagos.
As the head of operations at First Consultants, Dr. Adadevoh was praised for being the first to detect that Sawyer, who was admitted at First Consultants for five days before his death, was not being truthful when he denied that he was infected with the Ebola virus.
After he had tested negative for malaria and other diseases, she was said to have ordered that his blood be tested for Ebola. It was the positive result of the test that enabled the hospital to contact the Lagos State health authorities about the first Ebola patient in the country.
Her death brings to five, including the index case Sawyer, the total number of persons who have succumbed to the scourge of the disease in Nigeria.
Among those who have passed on, Dr. Adedavoh is the first doctor and the fourth Nigerian to have died from the virus. Others who died before her comprised two nurses and the ECOWAS protocol officer, Jatto Abdulqudir, who picked up an already infected Sawyer from the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
However, five others who contracted the disease from Sawyer have been discharged while two others remain in the isolation ward at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
Prior to Dr. Adadevoh's death, her family and colleagues had held a press briefing in Lagos appealing to the US government to intervene to keep her from dying.
They felt that the medical care she was getting in the isolation ward was insufficient and had called on the US government to send the ZMapp trial drug to save her life.
Dr. Adadevoh comes from an illustrious family of physicians, politicians, statesmen and clerics.
Her father, the late Dr. Babatunde Kwaku Adadevoh, was a renowned Harvard University-trained physician and former vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos, while her grandmother was the daughter of Sir Herbert Samuel Macaulay, a foremost politician and founder of Nigerian nationalism in the early 1940s.
Macaulay himself was the grandson of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, who was ordained the first African Bishop of the Anglican Church in Nigeria in 1864, making Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh, his great-great-great-grand daughter.
The Adadevoh family can trace their roots to the Creoles in Sierra Leone, Ghana and South-west Nigeria.
That we may not forget - Stella Adadevoh and Justina EjelonuYNaija l The Internet Newspaper for Young Nigerians
This is a beautiful article which a friend sent to me, which I am posting a link to for others to read.
Read on:
http://ynaija.com/site/may-forget-stella-adadevoh-justina-ejelonu/ I welcome tributes to this great heroine of our nation on this blog
Bright is the light of Ameyo's life
We give God glory
For the beauty of her legacy
She has walked the path
Our Saviour did
Saving countless lives
Laying down her own
We seek comfort
We are cut at heart
We are confused and sad
And so Ameyo has finished her race
I am so grateful to have known her
To have been the recipient of her care
Boldly she stood for what is right
An angel of light assigned to Nigeria
A demonstration of the Father's might
Sunday, 17 August 2014
Sword of the spirit prayers for Dr. Adadevoh & others
(1) Ephesians 6:10-17 | NIV
10 ...... we are standing strong in you Lord and in your mighty power. 11 We put on the full armor of God today, we take our stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore we put on the full armor of God, so that as this day of evil Ebola has come, we are able to stand our ground, and after we have done everything, to stand. 14 We stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around our waist,
( the truth is that at the name of Jesus Ebola shall bow)
with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
( we are the righteousness of Christ Jesus in God)
15 and with our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, we take up the shield of faith, with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
( by faith we declare that Dr Ameyo Adadevoh and all those in quarantine are saved from this deadly pestilence)
17 We take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
( because of our confidence in our God and our salvation in Christ Jesus, we use these words to pray as a sword. We cut down and totally route the enemy with these powerful words of God, knowing that they will not return void but accomplish that for which they have been spoken)
Amen
(2)1 Corinthians 15:58 | NIV
58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, we stand firm. We shall not let anything move us. We give ourselves fully to this work of The Lord;( to stand in the gap and pray) because we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Amen
(3)Psalms 91:1-16 | NIV
911 We who are standing in the gap dwell in the shelter of the Most High and we declare rest in the shadow of the Almighty for all Ebola victims . We say " Lord you are our refuge and our fortress, our God, in whom we trust." 3 Surely The Lord will save Dr Ameyo Adadevoh and others from the fowler's snare and from the deadly Ebola pestilence.4 He will cover them with his feathers,and under his wings they will find refuge;his faithfulness will be their shield and rampart.5 ( as The Lord strengthens them and their families, and banishes fear in their hearts) They will not fear the terror of night,nor the arrow that flies by day,6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,nor the plague that destroys at midday.7
Our Father, Lord, healer and great provider, command your angels concerning these for whom we pray and guard them in all their ways;12 lift them up in your hands Lord ,so that they will not strike ther feet against a stone( by no means come to any harm) 13 though they face the ravaging effects of this deadly virus, it will be as though they have tread on the lion and the cobra; that they will trample the great lion and the serpent. BUT 14 "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him;I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;I will be with him in trouble,I will deliver him and honor him.16 With long life I will satisfy him.
With long life The Lord will satisfy Ameyo Adadevoh and others in Jesus mighty name.
Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)