Martins Ifijeh chronicles the life of Irene Olumese, an ex UN envoy, who battled lung disease for years until it was almost ‘time’. But for providence and sheer luck, a stranger donated his only lungs to save her life. She is now championing causes to save other Nigerians, especially those without arms or legs
“That was how I managed through the service year and by early 1990, a test was done on me where I realised there were cysts in my lungs. At this point I had started coughing continuously. It was a terrifying stage of my life. I was told what I had was beyond asthma and it was serious,” said Olumese while sharing her story with THISDAY recently.
But after suffering this health challenges for over 20 years, amidst the marital and career progresses she had against the tide, it was almost ‘time’ for the lungs to finally fail. She began to lose manpower, strength, and the fear of losing her own life began to set in. But her desire to live soon paid off as her doctor eventually found a willing and compactible donor. It is one thing to find a donor, it is another thing to ensure the lung is compactible with the patient’s body.
“As a result of that, I was in a coma for four weeks. By the time I finally came out of it, I was told that things had really gone bad. There wasn’t enough blood circulation to my hands and legs, and as a result, they would have to amputate my limbs. I mean, after over 20 years of living with this problem to now be told that you have new lungs but have to lose both hands and legs, was quite tough for me.
“There were several times during that period when I saw death and thought that it was going to happen. My situation was so bad that I could not leave my bedroom. I was on oxygen 24 hours of the day. For the last three years, I had to be on ventilator for my lungs to breathe. By the time Olumese was finally out of it, she had spent at least $30, 000 to procure prosthetics with which she now walks. To her, she has every reason to be grateful for new limbs. She is on her feet because of grace, a statement she repeatedly made. She walked against the tide and is now back on her feet, which influenced her to establish ‘Feet of Grace Foundation’ with which other persons with prosthetic problems are now getting prosthetics so they can walk again and lead normal lives.
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