Overcoming Disability: The Story of Stella..

Determination, patience and courage are the only things needed to improve any situation....Unknown

Today I’m sharing the story of a remarkable woman who has overcome sudden, unexpected disability to shine forth in her personal and professional life. This is a story of strength, courage, determination and an apt demonstration of what the love of family and friends can do in the life of a person. Its a story of accomplishment even in the face of adversity.


Stella’s story also draws attention to the reality of the fact that DISABILITY CAN OCCUR WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT. How one copes with his/her changed circumstances determines if they’re truly disabled or just differently-abled. Her story also exposes how non-existent our emergency services are and how poorly trained/equipped our medical personnel and facilities are. It’s a long read, but one well worth it…


Stella Iwuagwu, is a trained nurse and the founder and CEO of the Center for the Right to Health (CRH), www.crhonline.org, a non-profit advocacy group based in Lagos that works to make health care affordable and accessible to all Nigerians. It takes a particular interest in the poor, the uneducated and those with HIV.


My late mother loved Stella like her own daughter, this is because of her simplicity, humility, poise and style not to mention her exceptional brilliance and positive attitude despite many challenges she had passed through. My mom would regularly ask all of us her daughters to emulate Stella as a role model, indeed that’s what she was and still is to me.

beautiful Stella before the accident

 In 2001, two years after she set up the center, Stella got the chance to attend an intensive summer course in Washington, D.C., dealing with human rights advocacy. Afterward, she took part in a United Nations General Assembly special session on HIV and AIDS in New York. Connections she made in the States eventually led to an offer from the Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program for African Women in Public Service to underwrite the costs of earning a master’s in non-profit management at New York University. This is what she had always longed for as Oprah was one of her role models in life, so she went, she studied, she earned the degree. But once she finished, instead of returning to Nigeria, Stella decided she might as well go on and get a doctorate in health education.


Three years later, she finished her coursework and was accepted as a doctoral candidate. She decided to focus her dissertation on Nigerian women living with HIV and in September 2007 returned home to do her research.


On Tuesday the 18th of September 2007, while being driven from Abuja to Kano for an interview she dozed off. The next thing she remembered was a loud bang. A collision? A blown tire? Robbers trying to force the car to stop? She never knew. But suddenly, the car somersaulted across the road and tumbled and rolled into a ravine. When she came to, she knew from the pain that she’d broken her back and was able to speak to the good Samaritans at the scene on how to carry her out of the crashed vehicle, to prevent complications, and they did well. Stella and her driver were first taken to a local hospital and maternity in Zaria, as the nearby Ahmadu Bello University Teaching hospital was on strike. There she was transferred from the van that brought her into a stretcher and from a stretcher into a bed and then onto another bed. All this while, Stella was screaming from the pain in her back. No attempt was made to use a back board or log roll to minimize damage to her spine. An x-ray could not be done either because the X-ray center had closed. Stella was given shots to reduce pain, and the bleeding from the multiple lacerations on her head and knee were controlled. On Wednesday the 19th of September, 2007, Stella was taken to Abuja with the hope of getting expert care from Nigeria’s high brow National Hospital.


The National Hospital Debacle
On arrival at the emergency section of the National hospital, Stella was again transferred from the ambulance onto the hospital stretcher without a backboard despite her repeated plea that her spine was broken. In the emergency room, the attending doctor focusing only on Stella’s head injury ordered a cervical collar an x-ray and MRI of the head and cervical spine, ignoring Stella’s insistent complaint of pain on her back that was radiating to her chest. Stella’s family rallied around to raise money for the x-ray and MRI. Stella was wheeled to the x-ray and MRI department by a hospital orderly and her relatives.


It is pertinent to note that there were no paramedics at the National Hospital, security men and passers-by were asked to help move Stella first from her bed to the MRI stretcher and from the stretcher to the scan machine; Stella was the one giving directives on how to move her without causing more damage. At the x-ray point, people around Stella were asked to pull her hands very hard in order to get good x-ray of her cervical spine. Stella’s chilling scream of pain was completely ignored by the belligerent, insensitive attending x-ray technician. Both MRI and x-ray revealed that there was no head or cervical spine fracture to the joy of Stella and her family.


The next hurdle was how to get her admitted as she was told there was no bed space. She was told that only the CMD could influence her getting a bed space. Friends of Stella (including Ford Foundation West African Representative, their Senior Program officer, staff of CRH, the Country Representative of NIH and other development colleagues) who were by now aware of the accident started to network to get to the CMD. Finally, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on MDGs was contacted among others who got through to the CMD and a bed space was made available at the intensive care unit.


The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Drama
On getting to the ICU, Stella was completely ignored while the nurse yelled at the orderly and Stella’s relative saying she did not have any bed space and was not expecting Stella. After several back and forth between the nurse and the emergency room via the phone, the nurse grudgingly made a bed for Stella in the ICU. Again Stella was transferred into her bed with no thoughts to her spine, while she screamed in pain. The next morning Thursday, September 20th 2007, the attending consultant assessed Stella during ward round with his team. At his directive, Stella was able to lift both legs and wiggle her toes. He reviewed her x-ray and MRI and was miffed that a full spine x-ray and MRI was not done despite Stella's obvious excruciating pain and insistence that her back was broken. He ordered urgent MRI of the full spine. Again, Stella’s family had to rally round to raise money for another MRI as the MRI technician bluntly refused to do it without cash on hand, even though Stella is an inpatient. The consultant reviewed the MRI that evening and confirmed spinal fracture at the T4 and T5 level, to the sorrow of Stella, her family and friends. By the next morning Stella was unable to raise her legs or wiggle her toes and had lost feelings from her toes up to her chest. Meanwhile, Stella’s need for nourishment was completely ignored; Stella’s friends had to complain to the matron in-charge before the nurses finally ordered food for her on Friday night.


In Search of a Neurosurgeon
The attending consultant recommended expert evaluation by a neurosurgeon. Everyone was shocked to find out that an apex Hospital has no neurosurgeon. They were told that a consultant neurosurgeon by name Dr. Shehu normally comes in from Othman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto. Dr. Shehu was expected the next day which was Friday but they were warned that the possibility of having Dr Shehu see Stella was remote because he had a long list, but again if they were able to talk with the CMD, she can be seen. They embarked on another session of getting to see the CMD in other to get Stella to be evaluated as she was now not able to move her limbs and body up to the breast level. Some of the very senior consultants at the Hospital who were approached to help talk to the CMD painted a grimmer picture. They were irked by the fact that the only neurosurgeon they had, left because of differences of opinion with some management staff. Very late on Friday night, (Stella’s 3rd day at the hospital), one Dr. Nasiru that works with Dr. Shehu arrived Abuja and was able to evaluate Stella at about midnight. His evaluation confirmed their greatest fears, a spinal cord injury. Dr Nasiru knew what needed to be done but did not have the requisite tools to do it.


In order to save Stella’s life, her friends decided to evacuate her to where she could get expert care. In order to expedite this, a medical report (MRI) was required to be forwarded to the potential hospital that would accept her for treatment. While various countries were being identified online as possible places to fly her to, including the US, Germany, South Africa, France, the UK and Ghana, another challenge cropped up as the hospital said that there was no letter head paper to write the official report until Monday when the administrative offices would be opened. Again they were told to get in touch with the CMD to obtain letter headed paper. This necessitated another round of networking to reach the CMD. This time they spread their dragnet to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello who was outside the Country with the Honorable Minister for Health. She gave the phone number to reach the CMD. The team coordinator followed up with a call on Saturday morning and was able to get through to CMD who was at the time in the Hospital premises. Reassured that a letter head will be made available, Dr Nasiru was called and informed of the new development and he promptly said he would be available to do the report. The CMD was eventually seen and when asked why there was no neuro-surgeon at the hospital considering the strategic position of the institution, the CMD replied that there was actually one who according to him was “old, retired and tired”. He went further to state that the hospital was established for Women and Children eight years ago and not meant to cope with the current issues (Stella is a woman). Reminded that there were several highly qualified Nigerians practicing neuro-surgery outside the country the CMD retorted: ‘we asked them to apply, its online, they do not want to come home!’. Why would a well qualified and highly skilled professional come to such an institution where management decisions that concern human lives seem to be centralized in one person and is not supportive of on-the-spot decision making and innovation such as is required of such a facility? While at the ICU the CMD met with Dr. Nasiru and the doctor on duty and had discussions on the decision to move Stella out of the Hospital. While this was going on, efforts were being made to identify suitable hospitals in the countries earlier mentioned. The report was finally sent to the various specialists in four countries including Ghana. The responses from them were very rapid and in unison confirmed the need to get Stella out fast. It was decided that she be flown to Korlebu Hospital in Accra, Ghana.


Race to Get Stella Out of Nigeria
The next battle was to get an air ambulance, Rivers State government, Julius Berger, Aero Contractors, Virgin etc were all contacted. It was Mr. Tunde Oremule the MD of Associated Airline that came to the rescue and had to mobilize his crew within a short period to evacuate Stella. Back at the National Hospital, preparations were in top gear by friends of Stella to mobilize resources to pay for the aircraft and to get medical staff to accompany her to Accra. By Sunday morning, one of the doctors agreed to go, but on the day of departure, the team was informed that that he spoke with the CMD who said he was not aware of the decision, and so the doctor disappeared and switched off his phone. The CMD on the other hand was not picking up his phone either. The frustration encountered in trying to get a doctor and a nurse to accompany Stella in-flight, in case of emergency is better imagined as some members of the team broke down in tears not for Stella but for Nigeria. One of Stella’s friends, a highly trained nurse volunteered to be on board with one of the ICU nurses. The head of the ICU had to pace the hospital several times to get an ambulance to convey Stella to the airport. They had to rely on friends to get Stella into the ambulance as there were no paramedics available to handle what is a very delicate case that needed specialized hands.


While they were having hell in Nigeria trying to get the National Hospital to do the needful to get Stella out, the medical team in Ghana were calling every 30 minutes to know when the flight would be departing and landing so they could be there to receive her. While it was difficult to get National hospital to act in Abuja, the reverse was the case in Accra as on arrival, there were at least ten medical and paramedical personnel waiting at the airport with an ambulance to receive Stella..what a sharp contrast!


In Ghana, Stella got the first professional care in six days of having the accident, her surgery was performed almost immediately upon arrival by a very skilled neurosurgeon Dr. Boatey to whom Stella is very grateful. Her case got worse in Abuja because of very poor professional care, poor attitude and crippling management decision making process.

Stella with Dr. Boatey (surgeon who operated on her) in hospital in Ghana weeks after her life saving surgery

Stella's spine scar postop

Life After...
Four weeks later, her support team sent her to the St. Louis Rehabilitation Institute in the USA, where she spent two months in intensive, painful therapy trying to get her life back.


In the words of Stella....“everyone was depending on me...my staff, my clients, my aging parents with their own medical problems, my children...and I lay there helpless,” Stella said, tears spilling from her eyes at the memory. “I couldn’t even turn over in bed or sit in a chair without falling out of it.”


And then there was the pain.


“It was excruciating.. it still is, all the time,” she said. “It drives me crazy.” But she wears the armor of determination.


By December 2007, Stella was back in Carbondale, still actively working at therapy but bed-bound much of the time. And she still had her dissertation to write.


“I had to do the dissertation,” she said. “It was the only way to get a job, and a job is the only way to get insurance. And so many people had invested their time, money, prayers and energy in me. I had to get on with my life.”


The challenge involved in completing her dissertation loomed large. For one thing, the medication she took for pain made her drowsy. She had some memory problems, too. A strategy materialized after she met SIUC sociology professor Kathryn B. Ward, who has long fought her own battle with multiple sclerosis.


“Kathy said, ‘You can do this,’” Stella recalls. “‘Take it one minute at a time, and do something with your dissertation for just 15 minutes a day.’


“Kathy also bought me some books on meditation. She said, ‘Stella, it’s going to come down to mind over body.’ So I started meditating. It was hard for me to sit still, much less quiet my thoughts, because I had been a Type A Plus Plus.” So Stella set herself a goal. She would graduate in May 2009.


With the help of a study buddy, gradually, a bit at a time, she was able to read the transcripts and analyze the material and do the write-up, and every little success encouraged her to go further. While she didn’t make her May graduation deadline, she successfully defended her dissertation June 29.


But Stella had another goal, too. When she received her diploma, she wanted to walk across the stage on her own two feet. Her physical therapist Kim Booker worked hard to help her do it.


“I tell God every day, ‘I refuse to be helpless,’” she recounted a few days before graduation. ‘I am going to walk again because Nigeria is not accessible. I can get around in America, but the work I do requires me to be in the field, and my office is on the fourth floor with no elevator. Being disabled is not an option.''

Stella learning personal care

learning to walk again..

At 7 p.m. Friday, August 7, 2009 in Shryock Auditorium Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Stella Iwuagwu received her doctoral diploma from the College of Education and Human Services. Though she had hoped to walk across the stage unaided, she used a walker to make her slow way toward her future, but walk she did.

Today Dr. Stella C. Iwuagwu, PhD, MS, MPH, CHES, RN is an Associate Professor with Cleveland State University. She is in the Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS) and the Masters of Science in Health Sciences (MSHS) program in the school of Health Sciences.

This is the story of the remarkable mum, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, colleague and role model called Stella Iwuagwu, she remains as beautiful, smart and vivacious as ever, only imbued with more inner strength and determination to change the world for the better.


Stella's story speaks a message to both the disabled and even more to the 'abled'. No one expects to become disabled, yet it happens every day and usually without warning. In fact disability will affect the lives of everyone at some point in their life, it is time society changed to acknowledge this. One of the key challenges for a person with a disability is to be seen by the public, to be portrayed in the media, treated by health care professionals, as an individual with abilities, and not just seen as a disability. Stella made sure of this by overcoming all odds to complete her tedious studies and get a job.
Stella was a role model to me before her accident and even moreso now that she’s paraplegic. I wish her many more successes.


In subsequent posts, I will do an analysis of Stella's treatment and compare the responses in Nigeria, Ghana and the USA..don't miss it..


I dedicate this song by Barry Manilow to Stella...I made it through..