“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
– Matthew 25:35
I dedicate today’s post to an amazing man and physician that I only recently heard about and for that, shame on me!
Dr David Fuseini Abdulai.
Dr Abdulai, born in the Northern Region of Ghana, was one of 11 children. He is the only one still alive. His siblings and parents died from poverty-related diseases. His dad contracted leprosy (Hanson’s Disease) later in life and his mum had to beg for food for the family.. After he lost his family, he lived on the streets where he often went without food. That experience proved critical in what he was going to devote his life to.
Through the help of the Catholic Church, he managed to go to school and then to Ghana Medical School. After graduation, he practiced at Korle-Bu and 37 Military hospitals till 1989 when he decided to move back to the Northern Region to give back.
And has he given back!
He founded the Shekinah Clinic for the indigent and the destitute. He founded the clinic to serve the Very Important People (VIPs, like he calls them) in his life – lepers, the mentally challenged, the crippled, in short any one who society had cast out. In parts of Ghana, lepers, the mentally challenged and the crippled are often homeless. From his childhood experience, he remembered how hungry these people were so he fed them. He still feeds them, houses them, clothes them and treats them when they fall ill.
They come to him in droves, willingly and he goes out to find them too.
All the care is for free, financed by donations and volunteers. His mantra is “God Will Provide”. He hasn’t ever drawn a salary.
He also operates a “meals-on-wheels” service that feeds the destitute and homeless in a 65-km (40 mile) radius. His target here also are the mentally challenged, who live on the streets and are often hungry plus poor families who do not have enough to eat. He has been doing this since about 1992 and has never missed a day.
Every Christmas, he has a party for every destitute person in Gurungu, where his clinic is, and it’s environs.
He has since opened a second clinic.
Besides his VIP patients, he also takes care of the poor who need medical care – for free.
He is assisted by 27 volunteers and serves about 120 people daily.
What a man!
For his efforts, he was affectionately called “The Mad Doctor”.
Life sometimes calls upon us to serve our fellow men. Few recognize this challenge and even fewer are able rise up to this challenge. To the few who can, it is forever an honor and a blessing. To us who can only look on, it is a constant source of amazement and awe and it forces something out of us. It forces our better selfs to the surface, forcing us to rise and be better people.
Most of us became doctors hoping to one day heal the world. Along the way, life gets in the way and we forget our ideals. Dr Abdulai never forgot his ideals. He is out there healing the world.
Dr Abdulai, thank you!
The wonderful story of Dr Abdulai has however taken a sad turn. In May, he was diagnosed with advanced thyroid cancer and is now reportedly fighting for his life. It sounds like he hasn’t had any form of treatment since his diagnosis and is having complications. He was recently flown down to Accra for radiation therapy. He may need further medical care. Also, his work needs to continue. To these ends, a GoFundMe campaign has been started for the dear doctor and his clinics. If you care to donate, please go to:
https://www.gofundme.com/2xbgkzac
His story came to my attention through FB posts of friends and people I follow.
To Pakwo Shum, Kobby Blay, Nana Awere Damoah, Nana Ama Agyeman Asante, Ama Opoku-Agyemang and Christa Sanders, ayekoo!
To President Mahama and Dr Victor Bampoe for facilitating his transfer, thanks!