who would have known that ebere's swollen eyes that we delightfully make joke of, would be the origin of our woes,the torrent flow of our tears and the wails of our outcry.
Initially it appeared as a beautiful hidden bead underneath her upper eye. We made countless innocent joke about how she would look prettier if the swollen eye can just spread to the other eye.
"It is what we popularly call Apollo (conjuctivitis),it will go away soon" my uncle would admonished her each time she complained of incessant pains. Eye drops and drugs recommended by pharmacist were administered to assuage the pain and to deflate whatever it is that was growing underneath ebere's eyelid.
As Days grew into weeks and weeks multiplied into months, so also ebere's right eye grew bigger in size and the pain multiplied. All the pain relief drugs and eye drops administered on the right eye had no effect and so my uncle had no option than to visit an optician who insisted that various lab test be carried out.
It was on a Friday afternoon, when my uncle looking like he was shouldering the world problem came home without ebere. Earlier that day the optician had insisted that my uncle come to the hospital with ebere for the lab result. When she didn't come back with him and countenance of uncle immediately interpreted to us that something has gone wrong. "where is ebere"? I and ebere's mom asked almost at the same time. "ebere is in the hospital, the doctor insist that she stays in the hospital for proper treatment" he answered with pains registered in his voice. That sounds better I said to myself though deep down in my heart I knew something was amiss judging from my uncle's countenance.
Later that day, I saw my uncle in deep conversation with his wife and I overhead the terms "surgery" "cancer""drugs" "hospital bills", then it was certain to me that ebere have cancer of the eye and not actually Apollo.
"If we want to see her again and we want her to live, the oncologist said the eye must be removed so as to prevent the cancer cells from spreading to the other eye" I heard my uncle explained to his wife. That was when The severity of ebere's swollen eye that I constantly make jest of dawned on me and I suddenly developed fever and I was shivering as if I was bathed with a bucket full of ice.
Few months after the surgery, we were making arrangements for ebere to travel abroad to get her an artificial eyeball when the doctor informed us that the cancer have already spread to the other eyes. "How come" we questioned the doctor? "But why so much misfortune"? we questioned God "what did we ever done wrong or who did we ever offend to deserve this calamity" we questioned our conscience.. .
Despite the prayers that was said, the armor of faith we wore,"the expenses and debt we procured, the treatments that was administered and her sight that was taken by cancer, ebere still lost her life to cancer... ..loosing her sight wasn't enough for the monster (cancer).
IN REMEMBRANCE OF A COUSIN WHOM I LOST 10 YEARS AGO TO CANCER..(Rita ekomhemhen James)