Paul paced back and forth on the road, his mind in a whirlwind of panic and fear. He was bewildered as to what had just played out before him. He picked up his phone and dialed the number of his eldest daughter, Chioma, he prayed that she would pick up.
Fortunately, after moments of agonizing rings, Chioma finally picked up and he informed her about all that transpired. Chioma was silent for a bit and then came a torrent of questions and exclamations which Paul could not answer at the time. Chioma, without waiting for a response, quickly hung up. She rushed to inform Ugochi and her younger brother, Arinze.
Chibuike, Chidimma and Ikechukwu were in the university and it was agreed amongst them that they would not involve those in school yet, till the situation was under control.
Upon hearing the news, Ugochi’s world came crashing down around her. She couldn’t believe all that she had just heard and the shock left her speechless for a moment. Her mind raced as she tried to process the information while also getting ready to rush to the scene.
Ugochi and Chioma rushed to the scene of the accident, their hearts pounding in their chests. Luckily, a police officer had informed Paul about some of his men having found a body on 401 Road and beckoned on Paul to come with him to identify the body. They arrived to find a chaotic scene, with Ijeoma’s body sprawled carelessly along the road. Ugochi and Chioma spotted their mother’s lifeless body lying on the road, and they fled towards her body. Ijeoma is light complexioned, however, due to the exposure, she had turned blue. On seeing how badly Ijeoma looked, her daughters’ hearts broke into a million pieces.
As a safety officer, Ugochi was trained in CPR, but the shock of seeing her mother in that state momentarily overwhelmed her. She stood frozen for a moment, unable to move or think. But then, her training kicked in, and she snapped into action.
Ugochi quickly assessed her mother’s condition, and with steady hands, she began performing CPR. She pumped her mother’s chest and breathed into her mouth, desperately trying to revive her. Every second felt like an eternity as Ugochi fought to save her mother’s life.
After what felt like an eternity, Ugochi saw a faint flicker of movement in her mother’s eyes. Hope surged through her, and she continued her efforts with renewed determination. Finally, her mother coughed weakly, and Ugochi let out a relieved breath.
Ijeoma was rushed to the hospital. Ugochi, Chioma and Paul and a few well-meaning relatives who had shown up, accompanied Ijeoma the entire way. On getting to the hospital, Ijeoma was laid on a stretcher and rushed to the Accident and Emergency section. Chioma held her mother’s right hand as she was being rushed in but only left it when it was impossible to pass through one of the corridors of the hospital, in that position.
Despite the best efforts of the doctors and nurses, Ijeoma was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Paul, Chioma and Ugochi were devastated, but they took solace in knowing that they had done everything they could to save Ijeoma.
In the few days that followed, Paul, Chioma and Ugochi leaned on each other for support as they navigated the grief of losing Ijeoma. They mourned deeply, but they also found comfort in the memories they had shared with her.
Ugochi channeled her grief into her work as a safety officer, advocating for road safety and spreading awareness about the importance of CPR and first aid. She was determined to prevent similar tragedies from happening to others.
