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We meet people every day for different purposes. In some cases, the crossing of paths was planned, while in others, it happens coincidentally. The latter was the case with me when I was in the hospital with my dad. My dad was critically ill, and he was referred from one hospital to another twice. In the final hospital that we were referred to, many tests were conducted, and the doctor recommended surgery on one of his legs.
My dad was sleeping while my mom and I were sitting by the bedside, watching over him when the nurse arrived at our ward. In her hand were some files. She parked the curtains to enter the ward but suddenly stepped back to confirm the room number. She moved her eyes quickly between the number written at the entrance of the room and the top most file that she was holding.
"Mr. Adeku," she called as she stepped inside the ward and flipped open the first page of the file.
"Yes, ma'am," I stood up and responded. My mom joined me standing, anxiously waiting to hear the next thing to be done in the care of my lovely father.
"In furtherance of the doctor's recommendation yesterday, you need to see the doctor now so that you can relate your decision to him and put in place the modalities for the operation if that's the option you settle for," the nurse instructed us.
The nurse barely left the room when my mother busted into crying.
"How will your father cope with a leg at this age?" She looked straight at my father in his sleeping state and wailed.
"Mum, let's pray for the best. It's never our wish if we have a choice," I consoled her.
"Does that mean you have agreed to the operation?" She asked me with a pool of tears still flowing down her cheeks.
I went silent and reflected on what the doctor had told me the previous day.
"The best option left for us is to amputate that leg," Doctor Amos began. "You have delayed taking action on this issue. Why will you allow the injury to go this bad before bringing it to us?"
"It's not intentional, sir. This is our second referral. The first hospital held us for a long time, only to refer us to another hospital when his health was deteriorating. It was from the second hospital that we were referred here," I explained to him.
"Sorry for what you have passed through. Please discuss with your dad and mom about this option and give me your feedback tomorrow if the operation should be performed. The amputation will increase his chances of survival, and without it, the chance of survival is slim."
I left the doctor's office devastated. My dad was in his sixties, and I imagined how he was going to live his remaining life with one leg.
When I discussed it with my mom, she was confused as to which option to go for.
"I want to see your father healthy again."
We later related it with my father, and he consented to whatever it was that could be done to keep him alive. My mom remained undecided till we went to sleep that night.
Now that the nurse has invited me to go and meet the doctor, it is time to decide on the next line of action.
"Mom, I think the operation is in the best interest of my father and his loved ones. I will tell the doctor to go ahead with the operation."
We hugged each other while I cleaned the tears on her face with my handkerchief before heading to the doctor's office.
"Good morning, sir. We have agreed for the operation to be conducted," I informed the doctor as soon as I took my seat.
"That's good. In that case, we don't need to delay it. You are going to make a deposit of 40,000 naira with the cashier. You will pay up the balance of 20,000 naira before he is discharged from the hospital," said the doctor.
The amount hit my heart like a heavy load. We have spent a lot of money, and virtually nothing was left in the family purse.
"Let me discuss with my mom and other family members to see how we are going to raise the money," I responded to the doctor before walking out of the office with my legs heavy.
When I briefed her about the discussion, we started putting calls across to relatives.
"Let's hope that we will raise the money by tomorrow morning," my mother raised our hope before sending me to get bread outside the hospital for our dinner.
On my way back to the hospital, I received a call from James, my colleague at the university.
"The university has extended the payment deadline by a week. I hope you will be able to pay before the expiration of the new deadline," James informed me.
"I don't think that I will be able to continue with my studies again. The priority of my family now is to raise money to take care of my father. My university education is secondary now," I responded to him.
As soon as I dropped the call, a man who had been leaning against his car, eavesdropping on my conversation, walked up to me.
"What is the challenge with you, young man?" He asked me.
I didn't know what to say. Tears rolled down my cheeks.
"I have come to check on someone in this hospital, and I am waiting for him to come and pick me up. Feel free to talk to me. I heard you saying that your education is no longer your priority. What is the problem?" He asked again.
I decided to explain everything to him at this point.
"Can I follow you to the ward to check on your dad and also have a word with your mom?"
"Yes, you can," I responded.
We only walked for a few meters within the hospital premises when the person he came to check in the hospital came out to meet us. It happened that the patient that he came to visit was in the room next to ours.
After listening to my mom corroborate all that I told him, he sought to see the doctor for my father's issue. He came back to inform us that he had seen the doctor.
"I have discussed this with the doctor, and I am sure that he will commence the process leading to the operation anytime from now. God has destined our path to cross for good. I advise you not to cry or panic again. God will take control of everything.
"Take this and input your bank account details. I will render a small assistance towards your registration. You will not drop out of school."
I collected the small diary and filled in my account details.
A few minutes later, the man left with the patient that he came to check on. The patient has been discharged.
My mom and I were contemplating what he discussed with the doctor throughout that night. "Did he plead with the doctor to do the operation while we rallied around to raise the money?" "Did he offset the bill in part?" "No, no, no," I ruled out the latter. "If he did that, he would have been more direct in telling us his level of intervention."
The following morning, the doctor came to tell us the unexpected.
"Someone has offset your bills 100%. The nurses will come to prepare him for the theater."
My mouth was wide open in disbelief. This was a man that didn't even exchange contact with any of us. My mom went on her knees to thank the man in his absence.
Before the preparation for the operation, my father gave up the ghost.
In the magnanimity of the hospital, the money paid for the operation was refunded to us. As we were preparing for the funeral, I received an alert of 50000 naira from the man as his fulfillment of helping me to pay my school fees. My school fees were 35,000 naira.
With these selfless assistances, I was able to navigate through the financial requirements of the funeral and also paid my school fees before the expiration of the deadline given by my university.
Our paths crossed once, and it left an indelible mark in the hearts of me and my family.