From trial to triumph: A journey of faith, resilience and God’s unending mercies
By Fred Chukwuelobe
Some stories are better heard than read. Dr. Chukwueloka Obiora Ikeme’s is one of them.
A Consultant Physician Anaesthetist at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Dr. Ikeme has documented his extraordinary experience of illness, survival, faith and recovery in a book titled From Trial to Triumph: Journey of Faith, Medicine, Resilience, and the Unending Mercies of God.
The book was unveiled in Enugu at an event that was, in equal measure, a book launch, thanksgiving for survival and celebration of family. It also marked Dr. Ikeme’s 25th wedding anniversary and the 50th birthday of his wife, Ogechukwu.
I almost did not attend.
I was in my village for the Annual New Yam Festival when my friend, Prince Obiora VinMartin Ilo, called. Vin Martin, who chaired the occasion, asked me to come to Enugu.
I told him I had travelled from Lagos for the festival.
He insisted that I would understand why he wanted me to come.
I have known Obiora since 1984. There is hardly any important occasion either of us has had that the other has not made time to attend. So, I left the village and drove to Enugu.
I understood immediately why he had insisted.
Dr. Ikeme’s ordeal began while he was trying to save a patient’s life. The person expected to operate an oxygen cylinder was absent, and the doctor stepped in. In the process, the cylinder fell on his toe and badly injured it.
What followed was a frightening medical journey that took him through hospitals in Nigeria and abroad.
There was massive blood loss, kidney failure, prolonged immobility and moments when his life hung in the balance.
A doctor who had spent his professional life saving the lives of others suddenly found himself fighting for his own.
Chief Willie Nwokoye, (Ibobo Amawbia), unveiled and presented the books. His account of Dr. Ikeme’s ordeal was gripping. Listening to him, I could hardly believe the extent of what the doctor had survived.
Prof. Onwuasigwe reviewed the book, drawing attention to its significance and the lessons contained in Dr. Ikeme’s experience.
The event also brought together people who have played important roles in the lives of Dr. Ikeme and his family. Engr. Chris Okoye, who sponsored Dr. Ikeme and Ogechukwu at their wedding 25 years ago, was there to witness another important milestone in their lives.
Prof. Magulike, Associate Prof. Ijeoma Ilo and I served as co-unveilers, while Prince Obiora VinMartin Ilo chaired the occasion.
For me, however, the story went beyond the ceremonies.
It brought back memories of my own experience at Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu, where I battled COVID-19. I remember the fear and uncertainty of not knowing what the next day would bring. By the special mercy of God, and through the care of the late Dr. Neri Picardo, I survived.
My experience was not as prolonged as Dr. Ikeme’s, but it gave me some understanding of what he went through.
That is why his story touched me.
Illness has a way of putting life in perspective. We spend our days pursuing money, careers, positions and other ambitions. We complain about what we do not have and often take what we have for granted.
Then sickness comes, and everything changes.
The things we once considered important suddenly become secondary. Good health becomes the greatest wealth.
Dr. Ikeme knows this truth from experience.
After an ordeal of such magnitude, he was standing before family and friends, celebrating not only his survival but also 25 years of marriage and his wife’s 50th birthday.
That was itself a testimony.
I joined the other co-unveilers in presenting the books and bought five copies.
As I did so, I understood once again why Vin Martin had asked me to leave my New Yam Festival and come to Enugu.
I was glad I did.
In my brief remarks, I thanked God for Dr. Ikeme’s survival and prayed that He would grant him many more years in good health to continue to testify to His goodness.
The occasion was therefore not simply about launching a book. It was about celebrating a life that had been tested and spared. It was about marriage, family, friendship, faith and resilience.
Most importantly, it was about gratitude.
Dr. Ikeme’s story reminds us that we do not always choose the trials that come our way, but we can choose how we respond to them. His response has been to turn a painful chapter of his life into a testimony that may encourage others going through difficult times.
As the Psalmist says: “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.” — Psalm 118:17.
Dr. Ikeme has lived to declare those works.
And on that evening in Enugu, we gathered to celebrate the fact that he is alive, grateful and able to tell his story.
From trial to triumph. From pain to praise. From survival to testimony.
• (c) Fred Chukwuelobe, fnipr
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