BN Book Excerpt: Adenike – Her Story, Your Movie, His Glory (II)

BellaNaija has partnered with Adenike Oyetunde to give out four copies of Adenike – Her Story, Your Movie, His Glory. {Click here to read the announcement} We published the the first part last week. Click HERE if you missed it.

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As part of the prep for surgery, I wasn’t allowed to eat. Tests were run, and the doctors returned that day to tell me that I required a blood transfusion. I didn’t know anyone at UCH, but my friend, Bukky Aleshe, had told me that she had a medical student friend, Dr. Laolu Adewale, who was allowed to see me anytime. Dr. Laolu was there when I was informed that I would need a transfusion. I called an ex to ask if he could donate blood, but he told me he couldn’t. My roommate, Abidemi, was next and she promised to show up the following day with some of our mutual friends; however, she said that she was broke and would require transport fare back to school, which I gladly agreed to provide. Laolu offered to donate blood. He also got some friends to do the same. I was stunned by his act of kindness and will forever remain grateful to him, and all the people who helped. While at the prayer house, my dad was living in the car. At UCH, he was allowed to sleep in a mosque built for Islamic medical students. I had the transfusion and the doctors said my blood level would increase when I woke up. After that, they would anaesthetize me, and we would proceed.

When I woke up the next morning, my leg was as big as a basketball. It had doubled in size. Never had I seen anything like that. Everyone was in shock at the sight of my leg, including the doctors. They immediately said that I had to undergo the procedure as soon as possible as the leg was eating everything in me. The entire transfusion (EVERYTHING!) I’d done had just gone to my leg. February 4, 2006, was the day my right leg was amputated.

Two days earlier, I had been admitted into South–West One, a new ward. Anu was a patient by my right and Mama, my left. Many of the people in the ward were friendly, so I quickly developed a good rapport with most of them. Something interesting happened a day before the surgery that made me realize my leg had to come off. On the day I arrived at UCH and was denied admission, I couldn’t dress my leg. But by the third day, when they were cleaning my leg, a maggot crawled out. It broke me when I realized that I was alive with a dead body part still attached. The leg smelled so badly; I could hardly believe it was mine. Whenever my leg was being dressed, I’d cry, not only because I could not move, but because it was painful and very heavy. My dad didn’t understand the reason for my tears so he constantly scolded me while asking why I was acting like the leg was too heavy. I kept crying as I told him that I couldn’t move my leg, but I doubt that he believed me. When the maggot was removed, I knew that I needed the doctors to take out my leg. My mum already knew we had to amputate the leg, and she was all for it this time. She was tired, too.