I
will enter is gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with
Praise!
Dear Friends,
I am not sure how to put this update
before you. I thought I would be writing to you the usual updates on Jude’s
family alone. However, I am writing to you to update you on Jude’s family and
more. The situation has left me with no other choice but to share updates on
Jude’s children but additionally, reach out to you on behalf my sister Rose. My
mother had 8 surviving children. We all grew up in a happy (although poor) but
protected home. My sister Rose is my immediate older sister.
Her Story: She had just finished Fashion
and Design training in Lagos in 1994-1995 soon before I left to come to the
USA. She returned to the village and was working from home sewing dresses and
clothes for kids and ladies in the village. She had great skills and people
loved her handy-work and were bringing her business all the time. She was helping
support the family with the few dollars she made.
Then, Iwas living in Gabon when one day I received
a call saying that Rose suddenly fell off her sewing chair and could not move
any part of body but was in excruciating pain. She was rushed to the hospital
and with many prayers she got better after weeks.
Rose got married after a few years and had
two healthy kids. After few years longer she got pregnant again, but this time
the pregnancy was a difficult one. She and her husband lived a very remote part
of Nigeria away from the family. She had a painful labor and delivered her
child, but still remained in serious pain after. It was not until the next day,
it was discovered that she had been carrying twins in her pregnancy all this
nine month period. By the time the quack nurses and doctors got around to it,
it was too late for the second baby in the womb. The baby died in the womb.
Rose also became seriously ill again and this time could not move the right
side of her body. To add salt to the injury, a couple months later the
surviving twin also passed away.
Ever since this tragic experience, we
have made effort s to get Rose the right medical help, but all to no avail.
When Amanda and I lived in Nigeria, I carried Rose in my hands up and down the
stairs of the so called hospitals where the sick and the helpless look for a
help that often will never come even after they have sold everything they have
and give the hospitals to get that help.
On one occasion as I was taking Rose from one
hospital to another at the doctor’s recommendations, I was so tired and hopeless;
I carried my sister back to the car, and led her to the Lord. I know the Bible
says that it has not entered anyone’s mind what the Lord prepared for those who
love him. But it seems to me also that hell will be like a place where you do
all the right things to get help, and help will not come, and no one will
notice. Friends, people are dying left
and right in the hands of doctors in Nigeria every second for “simple” things such
that no one would even have to stay overnight in the hospital elsewhere. (Case
in point: Jude my brother who passed away because of an abscessed tooth).
The recent news on Rose:
Almost two months ago, I got another
heart wrenching call from my brother saying that Rose was seriously ill again.
This time she is no longer able to move the left side of her body. I was in despair;
I was speechless and helpless at the same time. I became a little irate with
God. I had my doubts and my heart started to steam with the most common
questions in my life (WHY LORD, WHY ME, WHY US, and WHY ROSE?) How does anyone define or distinguish between
a blessing and a curse, what did I do to you Lord? Can you talk to me Lord? I
mean the questions were streaming to me effortlessly.
While I was eating my bread of sorrow,
Amanda turns to me a said to me, “You have to do something” I looked at her
with my irate face and said to her, “there isn’t anything else I know I can do.”
You can notice I was rather more interested in eating my bread of sorrow than
thinking of a solution. I was pretty much giving up. But Amanda would not have it,
and went online right at midnight researching for good hospitals in Nigeria, and
researching for any doctors and organizations that may be able to help. Shortly,
around 1 in the morning, Amanda was able to find a website with a Doctor from
Texas (Dr. Camazine). Dr Camazine went to school in Harvard and has had a medical
mission ministry around the world for years now (And Nigeria included). He visits
Nigeria several times each year where he performs all kinds of surgeries and
trains local doctors to do the same. Please visit his blog http://earthwidesurgicalfoundation.blogspot.com/. Warning: The
pictures are graphic. Proceed with care! VERY GRAPHIC!!! But amazing work!
Amanda reached out to his organization
by email and a phone call to the Dr. They were very helpful and accommodating and
informed Amanda that Dr. Camazine was on his way to Nigeria the next day. He gave us the dates and the area where he
was to visit and asked that Rose come directly to see him. He did see Rose
while he was Nigeria (His clinic was only 4 hours away from where Rose lives).
After CT scan examination, Dr. Camazine suggested
that Rose has tumor growing near her spine at C6. He recommended not to waste
any time. He said we should take Rose to a teaching medical school in Ibabdan
Nigeria, which is very far away from Rose who now is immobile. But that is the
best place to go for Neurosurgical issues such as Rose has.
Friends, it is such needs and situation
that Rose and my late brother Jude’s children are in today that birthed our
passion to do something in Nigeria “someday.” I lived around it all my life all over Africa,
but I hardly imagined that I will be indirectly in the situation. It is a life experience
that the most vulnerable and poor go through in Nigeria that will ache anyone’s
heart.
So why am I writing to you?
Rose needs help. Rose needs prayer. She
needed this help 12 years ago if she had been diagnosed properly.
Friends, you have been good to me and my
family, and I do not take you for granted.
If you remember my life and my life
story, you may get an idea how tired I am, but if you have been in the same
shoes as I am in now, you also will probably get the idea that it is beyond
humbling to be writing this email to you. But what are my options? None. I must
be that voice for her. Will you join me?
How you can help me cry out on behalf of
Rose:
Pray for healing, for good doctors/hospital
care/ financial provision as they do not have health insurance.
Do you know of any Neuroscientist?
Time management for us so we do not tarry
too long before we get Rose some help.
Pray that I am able to hear what God is
saying through it all.
Pray for strength to take whatever
answer that God gives us.
So here on our table we hold the
responsibility of continuing to care for Jude’s children as well as caring for
Rose’s condition. We have successfully
been able to fund the children’s education through the donations that were
given to the Jacobs Well Foundation for this past year. Currently the funds are exhausted and come
January the next round of school tuition will be due. Beyond their educational
needs are the children’s well being.
Your giving also helps to feed, clothe and provide medical care for
these children. Please continue to give
towards this.
Any further donations can be made
payable to Jacobs Well Foundation.
Checks made payable to: "Jacob's
Well Foundation"
(You can attach a sticky note with the
name Agwuocha on it to designate your donation)
Mail checks to: Jacob's Well Foundation
177 Hausman Road
Lenhartsville, PA 19534
Jacob’s Well Foundation is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization established to provide support for the
families of terminally ill or recently deceased providers. The organization was
begun in 2006 in response to the needs of a family of eight children who were losing
their father to malignant melanoma. Since then JWF has continued to provide
support for this family as well as a number of other deserving and needy families.
Our administrative needs and expenses are met by volunteers allowing us to send
one hundred percent of donations to the supported families. As a 501(c)(3)
organization we provide year end donation receipts for tax purposes.
Thank you for your time to actually read
all of this and sorry that it is long but we couldn’t condense it J
All our Love,
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