Emergency Medicine Uganda: A BALL, A RACQUET, A HOPE; AND A DREAM

By Elisha Mullen Okaisu

We all are inspired by something, somebody, some event… at the very least, we all are inspired sometimes. Recently, I have been inspired too, by someone, who against odds upon odds upon odds walked tough roads, tough miles and in making history said:

“I have to congratulate Maria. She gave us a great final, not only for you guys but for women’s tennis. I’m really honoured I got to play you in the final. Growing up, I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit and support, and standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I just went on court with a ball, a racket and a hope, that’s all I had. And it’s an inspiration for you guys who want to be the best – you can be, never give up and you don’t know who you can inspire. You never know what can happen. I’m so honoured to be here tonight and to hold this 19th trophy.” –

SERENA WILLIAMS 2015

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Generally speaking, it is something that resonates with us, some words, some phrase; for me it was:

“Growing up, I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit and support, and standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I just went on court with a ball, a racket and a hope, that’s all I had.

So I ponder and I think, what do you really need for success? In your wildest dreams, would you think that a ball, a racquet and a hope could turn into 66,211,528 USDs prize money¹ double that of the second highest earner? Would a ball, a racquet and a hope turn into yearly earnings of $15-20 million and a net worth of $ 130 million²? Of course judging success only by the money in your pocket or bank account (or wherever you keep it) is rather narrow minded some would say. So, would a ball, a racquet and a hope turn into 19 Grand Slams, a very top end service and return game etc? Or into a global inspirational figure for what has been achieved? Who would have dared to dream these possibilities 16 years or so ago? I very probably would not; but that is the operative word – WOULD! Because reading this story, I can dare to dream. Of course I am way past playing tennis for that kind of expertise or to earn that kind of money, but I still have a dream.

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A dream that was birthed in the most difficult of circumstances, of significant pain and loss – not mine (am nearly glad). I travel back in time to about 2005, still at school doing exams, their stress makes me cringe sometimes! This was not my patient she was presented for the exam by a colleague and happened to be the neighbor to the one I had to present. She had an intrauterine fetal demise/death that took a bit longer to come out than what was comfortable for the body. So after induction, the famous DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation) set in with all its perils and difficulties. From the OBS/GYN ward to the ICU she went, and we followed her, to see how she was doing (long after the exam). I remember it all vividly – she in the ICU, the breathing, the bleeding, the tubes in and out, the strong and distraught husband who had lost a child, now with the real possibility of losing a wife, the healthworkers. Two days later we went back to see her, and she looked, O so much worse than two days before. With my limited knowledge and significantly more limited experience in critical care, this was bad, very bad. This was my labour suite, and it was coming with pain, lots of pain for someone else; a little pain for me too.

This is when a thought came to mind – she would do much better with better resources, especially human resource. I thought then, and I think now, had she been induced earlier, there is a high chance she would not be lying in the ICU. Now that she was this far down, I thought as well that if there were more competent – knowledgeable and skillful healthworkers in critical care in the ICU, more timely decisions and interventions would be made that would pull her out of the jaws of death that were slowly but surely enveloping her. There I stood gazing at her, helpless – with a birthing dream.

She did not make it in the end, but a dream was born, that could help someone else, maybe, hopefully.

My dream – to live and grow in the high-paced, adrenaline-infested world of critical care – begun to blossom. I would become one of those that help the dying live when they should have died.

10 years on the dream lives and breathes – BLS/PALS and soon to be ACLS instructor, critical care nursing training, 7 years of a work place that offers some abilities for critical care, with the emphasis on human resource.

Yes the dream lives on and gets better. It’s not only critical care, it is emergency care/medicine. It is the whole continuum from onset of illness to rehabilitation and recovery.

I still have a dream that there are healthworkers who will work to see lives saved rather than “how do I benefit?”

I still have a dream that one day, the one that picks a patient with life threatening illness from their home/accident scene won’t be just a good Samaritan without the faintest idea of how to transport a patient with life threatening illness.

I still have faith that just like a ball, a racquet and a hope can turn into untold success, a dream can turn into a vibrant and effective emergency system.

“Growing up, I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit and support.”

Yes, in 2005 I wasn’t the richest (in knowledge, skill or family) but in 2015 there is a family, a support and rich spirit – Emergency Medicine Uganda. Long may it live to multiply dreams and hopes into realities and lives saved; to create systems that are robust and sustainable; to build a pipeline³that shall draw water from a well of evidence-based practice and all that is rational and noble, where truth reigns (and all truth is God’s truth).

I still have a dream, with a faith and inspiration that this dream shall live! Now let the family speak.

Oh! Happy Valentine's day.