Johannesburg: More Angels Stop By...

I stayed until the morning visit was over, then I sat in the waiting room to wait for the evening visit. They were quite strict about visiting times at Milpark.

Kechi's accident brought out the best in people. I got so many calls and had so many visitors that I was overwhelmed with kindness. 

Most of the people who reached out to me were people I either did not know well, or had never met before. It was an incredible experience. Betty came by and sat with me for quite a while. We had not been very close in Nigeria and thus I had missed out on knowing a wonderful human being. She said she was going to get me flats or sneakers so I would be more comfortable. She also insisted on bringing cooked food for me. I still could not stand the idea of eating food, and asked for fruits instead. She left, promising to come back in the evening with her church elders who wanted to pray for Kechi.

I got a call from Pat, my friend Stella's friend from London. She had contacted her pastor friend in Johannesburg, Noni, who called to also say she would come later to pray with me. Pat called constantly from London to ask after Kechi.

My sister-in-law, Chi's, friend, Sade and her husband had just come in from Nigeria and brought money from Mom and from Chi, and Eze, my brother. I was truly touched. But then I was to be even more shocked and overwhelmed.

Sade and her husband, people I had just met, insisted on shopping for clothes for me since I left Nigeria with very little. They did not let me thank them. Sade said that I did not understand how privileged they felt to be able to do something for someone that God had touched so directly. The love expressed was incredible.

Later that afternoon, I had to sign a consent form for Kechi to go in for surgery. They were going to scrape off more of her burnt skin. My mind refused to delve deeply into what that entailed. All I knew was that she was being taken care of. The matron of the unit informed me that the third survivor of the crash had been flown in from Nigeria. She also had 60% burns like Kechi, and was in her 20s. Apparently, the younger you are, the better your chances are of pulling through.

Kechi came in from surgery about 5.30pm. She was “stable”, a word I became very familiar with. When the staff told you a patient was stable, they were actually saying that nothing had changed since the last time you asked, five seconds ago! Her blood pressure was okay. My baby was holding her own. Her face did not look so bloated to me, but when I mentioned it to the nurse, she told me Kechi would still swell some more.

Sade and her husband came back with loads and loads of clothes and underwear for me. It was a humbling experience. Then Betty brought jackets and sneakers for me, because I was complaining that I was cold.

Betty's pastors came in later and prayed for Kechi, and I also asked them to pray for Pauline, the other survivor. Some other Nigerians resident in South Africa, also came to the waiting room to wish Kechi well...

To be Continued...