Bankole, the only son of the late Dr. Stella Adadevoh, tells Arukaino Umukoro of PUNCH about his mum’s heroic efforts in the country’s fight against Ebola.
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Bankole Cardoso. I am the son of Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh. I am an entrepreneur. I was born and raised in Nigeria. I went to Boston College in the US for my undergraduate degree, where I studied Business Management and Accounting. I worked with PriceWaterHouse Coopers in New York. After that, I worked in a private equity firm called the Carlyle Group, in the US. I’ve been back in Nigeria for about two years now and I launched a company called Easy Taxi in Nigeria.
How was growing up?
It was wonderful. My mum was a very loving person. I was her only son and with me, it was even
more. She showered me with love and gave me everything. There was nothing that she wouldn’t do for me.
Can you tell us about your mother’s profession?
My mum, Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, worked at First Consultants for 21 years, the same hospital I was born in. She was synonymous with First Consultants. Also, many of my best friends and my whole family were born there. She treated generations of different families; parents, grandparents, great grandparents, children and grandchildren. That was the case in my whole family as well. She treated everybody. I have met many patients of hers who have said that she was such an exceptional doctor because she really cared for them. She followed up on them all the time and prayed for them. Medicine was definitely her calling.
She was educated at the University of Lagos, and then she went to the University of London to continue her career. Later, she decided to move back to Nigeria to continue her career because she didn’t want to stay in England. She always said that she wanted to be here to make an impact on the health care system. She was selfless and extremely dedicated to her profession. She was there seven days in a week. She would even do house chores for her patients and go on house calls for free. Even those who couldn’t afford to pay for the health care, she had a tab at the hospital, she would give free medical care or tell them to put it on her bill and she would pay for it.
Your mum was said to have also discovered swine flu in Nigeria…
When swine flu came to Nigeria, she was the first doctor to diagnose that, just the same way with Ebola.
Everyone sees your mum as a heroine for the role she played in stopping the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the country. Do you also see her as such?
She was indeed extremely special and what she did was heroic. Despite the pressure and stress she was under, she was just concerned for Nigeria at the time. She kept saying, ‘I hope this doesn’t stigmatise Nigeria, I hope this doesn’t give us a problem.’ To me, she is a heroine, 100 per cent.
Can you recollect her encounter with the late Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, who brought Ebola into Nigeria?
The actual story was that when this man (Sawyer) flew into Nigeria from Liberia to attend a conference, he fell ill on his arrival and was taken to First Consultants because the general hospitals were on strike. When he got there, he was first treated for malaria on a Sunday. That weekend was my dad’s 60th birthday and my mum wasn’t in the hospital. We were all at home celebrating.
On that Monday, she went to the hospital and saw him. Immediately, these were her own words to me, she said she was very disturbed, because it looked as if blood was seeping through his skin. She said she knew it was not malaria. When she asked him where he had been and he said Liberia, she immediately suspected it could be Ebola. Interestingly, three months or so before, we were just watching the news when she said, “Nigeria is not prepared for Ebola.” Back then, she immediately did her research on Ebola, noting that Nigeria needed to be prepared if there was an outbreak. She printed those papers long ago.
So, when this man came, she immediately suspected; although at the time, she didn’t have any positive result that it was Ebola. The Liberian officials there were very furious and said she must release him, claiming that she was holding him against his will; and she had kidnapped him. But she said she could not let him leave the hospital for the public good, and he must stay there because she suspected he had a haemorrhagic disease which was infectious.
How was that period for you and your family?
It was incredibly stressful. I hardly saw her at the time because she was always busy at the hospital, with government officials and the World Health Organisation officials, and also having to care for this sick patient. She got home at 3am every day, and was up by 7am. I couldn’t see her for about three days and with the Ebola disease, one couldn’t predict the outcome.
My dad and I went to the centre at Yaba every day, but we were not allowed to come close to her. At first, we could come close to the window to see her, but eventually, we were not even allowed near the window. I didn’t see her for about 10 days while she was in there.
When last did you see her and what were her last words to you?
The last time I saw her face-to-face was the day I went to the centre to give her her footwear and her iPad. She was physically very weak. This was someone I had never seen fall sick in my life. But then, she was physically very weak. I took all the stuff to her and put it through the door, she had to go and collect it because I couldn’t go into the room. We spoke through the window, I was crying. But she was adamant, she said, “Don’t worry, son. This thing is not going to kill me, but I am very proud of you.” Those were the last words she told me. This was about 10 days before she died. The WHO doctor, Dr. David, told us that it was only a matter of time (before she died), that we should expect the call the next day or in the next week. We were waiting for the call. But he kept telling us that it was a matter of time— it was worse than receiving the actual call.
You are a scion of two powerful dynasties; your mum was the grand-daughter of Herbert Macaulay and the great, great grand-daughter of Ajayi Crowther. Do you think your mum’s part in stopping the Ebola outbreak in the country was a stroke of fate?
These things are funny. I can’t answer that but a lot of people say that. Luckily, she was prepared. That’s what I can say. We had a Nigerian that was prepared. Maybe it’s her lineage, I don’t know, that’s what people say. I wished it wasn’t her, but I am thankful for what she did (for the country). Till today, I still get telephone calls from her patients, because they had a special bond with her. She was great in what she did. She didn’t need this to stand out or stamp her greatness.
Was your family stigmatised in any way at the time?
We were not stigmatised outrightly but we did our best to keep away from people. People wanted to visit us at home then but we said no, they had to stay away. We needed to be responsible. My father and I were placed under quarantine for 21 days. I didn’t know at that time that I would be alive today. But people were very kind to us and showed their support for us.
Were you scared of dying?
I was scared of falling ill, but I was never scared of dying because I didn’t think I would die.
Are you still angry with Sawyer, the man that brought Ebola to Nigeria?
I have overcome the anger. I don’t think anybody would ever know his real motive of coming to Nigeria. But I think his actions were completely irresponsible. That’s how I would leave it.
How long were you angry with him?
I was angry at him, I was angry at God, I was angry at many things. But one had to channel it into something positive like the health trust. And that’s what I’m dedicated to and focused on now, full time. Like we would always say, if my mother was here now, she would have forgiven him (Sawyer). I can never forget what happened, it’s going to be a part of my life forever, but I forgive him. My dad also feels the same way.
How do you think she should be remembered?
She was the person that bonded our family together. She was incredibly dedicated to family and everybody understood that and appreciated that about her. She was just the most loving person you could think about. That’s how I remember her. Beyond that, Nigerians recognise that if it wasn’t for her correct diagnosis, we would not have had elections; we would not be where we are today. I think that is a legacy. She prevented us from going backwards. Our way of immortalising her is by continuing what she would have done, making that same impact on people’s lives and on the medical profession, subsequently, the whole country. That’s why we have set up the health trust in her name. Government and other people can do what they think is right to immortalise her. I think the way government could immortalise her is by revamping the health sector, and improving on health care in the country. There should be a change, for such not to happen in Nigeria again.
How have you and your family coped since her death?
To lose a parent, especially in that way, is incredibly painful. The first three or four months were just hard. But, luckily, there was a lot of family support, everybody pulled very close together, and I drew on my faith as well. It’s something one cannot explain. Yes, people fall ill, and they have maybe one or two years for a chance to say goodbye; but in this case, it was so quick. There was no chance (for us) to say goodbye to her, properly.
What do you miss most about her?
The love. It was like she used to bug me and I miss that. I miss her phone calls every day, three or four times a day, and I would say, ‘mum, I’m busy,’ and she would call me again. I’m happy that we always used to express our love for each other. She knew I loved her, I still do.
Can you recollect some memorable moments with her?
There are so many. Whenever I remember her, it’s just happy memories. Till today, we would just laugh when we think about her because she was always in a good mood, she was always happy. She brought the family together. People were always coming to our house. She loved to go out to parties and dance. She loved dancing. She was just a very happy, spirited person, and she was very faithful. She was 57 years old, but she was very playful, sometimes like a little girl. She was so innocent, so selfless.
What kind of reaction do you get when people realise that you are Dr. Stella Adadevoh’s son?
They say, “Oh, I’m so sorry, she was an amazing woman, she was this and that.” I’m used to it now. Initially, when the episode was still very fresh, I didn’t want to hear that. Now, I’m happy to hear it.
Would you say your mum’s name has opened doors for you?
While she was here, she opened all the doors for me, with everything I did in life. When I started my own company here, she wrote down a list of about 50 people I should visit. She would hand every patient of hers my company’s flyer. It’s amazing that she continues to open doors for me after her death. Her name is still opening doors for me.
A health trust has been named after your mum, what is it about?
The Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh Health Trust is strictly a non-profit organisation. After going through this very difficult time, my family and I decided to set up this trust. We have done a lot of research and we have met with the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other big international organisations; and we have decided to focus on training and ethics, because my mother believed in these. She used to quiz her doctors all the time, and gave them homework; things to read and she asked them questions. She recognised the challenges in our health care system.
What kind of music or artiste did she like?
I know Whitney Houston was one of her favourites.
Do you have fond memories of her when you hear any song by Whitney Houston?
Yes.
Which particular one?
“I will always love you.”
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