18/04/2025
ABANDONED
(A must read)
Kate was so excited to start work.
It had always been her dream to become a nurse. She loved everything about the profession.
Today was her first day at work at the famous National Orthopaedic Hospital - Ikoyi, Lagos. The hospital specializes in spinal cord injuries, orthopaedic care, and physical therapy. It is one of Nigeria’s oldest and most respected orthopaedic centers.
After working in the ward for a week, Kate noticed something odd, there was a particular patient no one ever came to visit.
He was an elderly man, probably in his mid-forties. His bed was at the far end of the ward, almost as though he didn’t belong there.
"Rose, what about that man at the extreme end?" Kate asked her colleague, curiosity evident in her tone.
"Oh! You mean Mr. Ken," Rose replied.
"His case is really pathetic. From what I’ve learned, he’s been in this hospital for ten years now. No relative, no friend, no one has ever come for him. I heard he came to the hospital on his own, but his health worsened. Initially, he could pay his bills, but the sickness drained all he had. He sold all his assets and is now indebted. He can’t leave the hospital due to the accumulated bills."
"Oh my goodness," Kate gasped, overwhelmed.
"Yes," Rose continued. "He has lumbar myelopathy—a pressure on the spinal cord due to a tumor. He was admitted with severe pain, weakness, numbness, partial paralysis, and difficulty walking."
"Let me go talk to him," Kate muttered.
"Haa! You want to pay his bills?" Rose chuckled, shaking her head at Kate as she continued working on the handover reports.
Kate ignored her and walked gently to the last bed in the ward. She noticed the man was startled the moment he saw her—as though he wasn’t used to visitors.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ken. How are you doing today?" she asked softly.
With eyes drenched in tears and a voice filled with tiredness, he replied faintly,
"I have no one, Nurse… and it hurts."
He heaved a deep sigh and continued,
"No one to talk to. You’re new here, right?"
"Yes," Kate replied. "This is my first week working in this hospital."
"I see," he nodded.
"I know almost every staff member here. This year makes it ten years I’ve stayed in this hospital. Bad luck should be my second name," he chuckled bitterly.
"Can you believe a philanthropist visited this hospital twice to clear off the bills of some patients who couldn’t afford them? And each time, he took only the first ten patients to enter the hall.
The last time really pained me, my dear. I was so close to the hall, dragging myself with the little strength I had. Then I saw, from a distance, four men running with a stretcher. They were carrying their friend. I had seen him being admitted just a week earlier. But he had friends—friends who were always by his bedside.
I watched them every day. That day, they carried him on the stretcher and pushed him in—through the window—into the hall.
Then the philanthropist said, ‘That’s enough. I’ve gotten the number I wanted.’
That day, I walked back in tears and pain to my lonely bed.
The hospital has even stopped my treatment because I can’t afford the bills anymore.
Twice I’ve missed the opportunity for freedom… simply because I have no one."
"But Mr. Ken," she asked softly, "was your relationship with people that bad? That no one could come for you, not even relatives, friends, or old girlfriends?"
He sighed deeply.
"That’s my biggest mistake in life, my dear. I’ve watched friends and relatives gather around their loved ones. That last incident touched me. I stood for minutes, watching how those friends ensured their paralyzed friend made it into that hall, through the window.
“I’ve really learnt my lessons the hard way,” he began, voice low and trembling. *“I lived a rough life. I never valued people because, back then, life was good to me. Friendships with men never lasted. If you annoyed me or got on my nerves, or perhaps claim, I offended you, I’d cut you off, thinking, ‘What can you even do for me?’”
*“And now... here I am, lying on this sick bed. Not a single soul has shown up. Maybe they don’t know... or maybe they do, and they’re thinking, ‘That serves him right.’”
Kate could see tears slowly trickling down the man’s cheeks.
She felt a deep sense of pity for him.
He was truly remorseful.
It’s okay, sir. I will help you out," Kate said, her heart aching with compassion.
The next week, Kate spoke to her uncle, Senator Alfred, a well-known philanthropist who regularly organizes medical outreaches in his local community.
Senator Alfred visited the National Orthopaedic Hospital – Ikoyi, Lagos.
All of Mr. Ken’s bills were cleared.
Culled from:
The story of the man paralyzed for 38 years at the Pool of Bethesda – John 5:1–15 and
The story of the friends who carried their sick friend and uncovered the roof for Jesus to heal him – Mark 2:1–12
LESSONS:
Value human relationships. Never say: "What will he/she do for me?"
The job, recognition, next level, promotion, contract, recommendation, breakthrough, wealth, car, and properties you seek are all in the hands of people.
God is the source, but humans remain the channels/ resources.
Be nice to all men. Treat people fairly.
Thank you for reading.
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I am Uzoukwu Cynthia Nkechi.
Nkay Writes ✍️
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Happy Easter..Jesus Christ is Risen.🥰
