For our last weekend in Ghana, Jessie, Marlene, Sabrina, and I decided to take a road trip to Takoradi, which is the third largest city in Ghana according to Wikipedia. Takoradi is located in the western region, and at one point was the porting capital of Ghana. Our reason for going to Takoradi was one of relaxation. I had made a reservation to get a massage at one of Takoradi’s most famous spas, and Jessie, Marlene, and Sabrina planned to lounge by the beachside.

Before my massage, I decided to join Jessie, Marlene, and Sabrina at the beach. We climbed the rocks along the shore and watched as the waves hit along the sides. Jessie, a lover of the sea, ventured out further along the rocks until a wave yanked her down. When she crawled back up it was obvious her foot was injured.

Jessie had accidentally stepped on a sea urchin and now had six of its needles stuck in her middle toe, about three in the palm of her feet, and one in her heel.  I was too excited at her discomfort! The future-nurse in mewas ready to jump to action! According to Google, the sea urchin needles were slightly poisonous so we figured Jessie’s best option was to go ahead and dig the needles out.

With the help of Marlene, Sabrina, a First-Aid Kit and some sewing needles, I, Jada Wiggleton-Little performed my first surgical procedure! I carefully took out exactly two needles from Jessie’s foot before hunger got the best of me and I had to hand my surgical supplies over to a security guard who volunteered his services. As the security guard finished up the operation, the rest of us couldn’t help but sit back and laugh as Jessie cried out in pain, grateful that it wasn’t us in the chair.

However, quickly after lunch I noticed I had a throbbing pain in the heel of my foot. Behold my surprise when I saw that I too had accidentally stepped on sea urchin , and had six needles embedded in my skin. Let’s just say, Jessie was too happy to return the favor…

During our excursion to Kumasi, we had the opportunity to visit a small village known for its production of the most beautiful fabrics stamped with Adinkra symbols. Adinkra symbols originated from the Ashanti people, and Kumasi was the heart of the Ashanti Kingdom.
We were briefly introduced to the Adinkra symbols, their origin, and their meanings, before we arrived to Ghana. Everywhere I look I see the overarching influencTHee the Adinkra symbols have on the people in Ghana, even on those not belonging to the Ashanti linage. Adinkra symbols had been stamped on table clothes and dresses, painted on banners and on the side of buildings, and carved in drums, jewelry, and monuments. There even hangs a painting of an Adinkra symbol, Gye Nyame, over the dining table at the guest house. Gye Nyame translates to “except for God”, which represents God’s omnipotent, or supreme, quality.
As we walked with a guide through the steps of making an Adinkra stamp, a young man called attention to my earrings. They too were the Gye Nyame symbol. At the end of the tour, we were given the option to make our own fabric stamped with Adinkra symbols. Although constantly submerged in the presence of the Adinkra symbols, this quickly become the first moment in which I internalized their meanings. I chose a red fabric because, to me, red symbolizes strength and passion. The two Adinkra symbols I used were the Kintinkantan symbol and the Owo Foro Adobe symbol. The Kintinkantan symbol means “arrogance” as a reminder to be the opposite, humble. The Owo Foro Adobe symbols means “snake climbing the raffia tree” which represents diligence and an attempt to do the impossible.

 

 

With the help of the Adinkra symbols, my fabric told the story of a woman with a burning passion to humbly lead others in the fight to make the impossible a reality. It was the story of a woman I inspired to be.

The ICU is small, with 6 hospital beds laying side by side and only a foot of space in between them. Four nurses are crammed behind a desk, reviewing James’s file.

James has ascending paralysis with an unknown cause, a UTI, is hypertensive, hyperglycemic, and is currently in septic shock. James is not conscious, or maybe he is semi-conscious. The doctors cannot seem to agree. As the doctors debate, Nurse Samuel walks up to James and taps his shoulder before administering an IV. James stirs. Nurse Samuel rolls his eyes at the doctors before making eye contact with me. “Conscious”, he whispers.

For my first week at the hospital, James was the only patient in the ICU. His condition was not getting better, but at the time, it was not getting worse. He was stable. The nurses informed me that in the ICU, with patients who lack insurance, stable is all the hospital can provide. In Ghana, all citizens are granted a baseline form of healthcare. Any additional medications or procedures that can improve quality of life has to be covered by the patient’s private insurance, and if he has none, than the financial obligations fall to the patient and his family.

A patient has to have paid for the medication prior to receiving it, and surgeries are expected to be paid in full before the patient is discharged. What shocked me the most, was hearing that patients were expected to hire, or pay, for an ambulance before the ambulance can rushed them to the hospital. Those who couldn’t afford the 200 cedis for an ambulance often will have to pay for a taxi instead. Because the financial strains of being in the hospital was such a burden, families who could not afford the treatment did not come to visit their love ones. It was five days before a family member was able to visit James.

As the nurses rushed to tell me all the issues they observe in their hospital, from patient’s inability to pay for treatment to nurse shortages to social hierarchies, I could not help but look at James. How much of his condition could be attributed to these problems? Would his prognosis be influenced by social factors beyond his, or even the hospital’s, control? If he was a wealthier man, or was admitted in one of the hospitals in Charlotte, would he have survived?

I later learned that James drifted into a permanently unconscious state before silently passing on.

*No real names were used in the making of this blog.