I moved off-campus in the early part of my 200 level. I never liked the school hostels, so when I transferred from the main campus to the College of Health Sciences, I decided to take my chances in the “wilderness” outside the university.
One night, I woke up with intense pain. It was sudden and severe. I was alone in my off-campus hostel. My only neighbour, who was also a student, was not around. At that hour, there was practically no one to call for help. Most of my friends from 100 level were either on the main campus or at the college. I had to figure things out on my own.
I gathered a few things and decided to walk to the A&E. My residence was just outside the gate of the university teaching hospital, which also houses the college. When I reached the hospital gate, I noticed a bike that probably belonged to one of the security officers. I sighed in relief. The distance from the school gate to the A&E is about five to eight minutes on foot. In my condition, taking that walk was difficult. I went to the security post and shouted for help several times, but no one responded. With no other option, I continued walking.
As soon as I got to the sidewalk, the pain intensified with every step I took. It worsened after I passed St. Luke’s Church, one of the college churches along the road. By the time I reached the pathway in front of the Chapel of Christ the Healer, just a little further ahead, I could not go on. I did not even have the strength to stand. I collapsed on the sidewalk right in front of the chapel.
I was conscious but too weak to turn over or lie on my back. I remained there, face down, breathing in dust. It was harmattan season, and in my rush to get to the A&E, I had forgotten my coat. So I lay there freezing in the cold night air.
I managed to glance at my phone screen. It was about 2:30 a.m. I was too weak to pick it up and make a call. I simply lay there, waiting for whatever would happen next.
My limbs grew colder by the minute. I stayed in that position for what felt like a long time. The only prayers I could offer were silent ones in my thoughts. I could not even open my mouth to speak.
Then, suddenly, after about fifteen minutes, I felt strength returning, starting from my chest. The coldness in my limbs began to fade. Warmth spread through my body from nowhere. I slowly got up and found that I could walk again. I completed the journey to the A&E, where I was admitted and managed for three days for a long diagnosis I did not understand at the time.
That night is why the Chapel of Christ the Healer remains a deeply beloved place to me. I prayed for healing literally at its doorstep, and I found it. It also reminds me why I strive to live each day in reverence to God—because He was with me when no one else could be.
Sometimes, I wonder whether I would have fared better had I stayed on campus. I would have been closer to the hospital and perhaps received help sooner from others.
As narrated by: Peter Akpata (Ilorin, Nigeria).
This snippet is published as part of the series, Surviving Medical School.
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