Lagos COVID-19 survivor speaks, says ‘I battled to stay alive’

For Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, (a COVID-19 survivor) Monday, 30 March, 2019 will linger in her memory, that was the day she was discharged from the Infectious Disease Hospital, IDH, Yaba where she battled to live. She was struck down by the deadly Coronavirus.

Her journey to the dreaded IDH, began when she tested positive for Coronavirus after returning to Nigeria from the UK post-Commonwealth event. She felt ill thereafter and decided, as a responsible person, to self-isolate.

On Monday, she was the only young female discharged from the hospital among the five people who beat Coronavirus. There were four other men.

She recounted her experience in series of tweets on her twitter page.

“I was on drugs daily. Sometimes, I‘d take 8 tablets in the morning, 13 tablets in the afternoon, 10 at night. My system threw everything out!

“Water, food, soap & all disgusted me. But I’d look at the wall & force myself to stay hydrated — drank ORS. I FOUGHT TO LIVE! I FOUGHT!

“The next days were tough. No appetite. The nausea, vomit & stooling was unbearable. I’m a blood type A & #COVID19 dealt with me. I thought I was going to die & contemplated a succession plan for @StandtoEndRape. Life finds ways of throwing LEMON at me. I’ve struggled with coming forward, but I want to inspire hope.”

According to her, “Days after, the doctors shared a good news that I tested negative. I shared this news with family & friends! My blood sample was taken & I also tried to donate my plasmapheresis to help others. I hoped to be discharged.

“I waited to be discharged, but for two days, nothing happened. I was unsure of what was going on. Why haven’t I been discharged? Should I be in the same ward? Could I get reinfected? I was worried but remained calm.

“On the 3rd day, doctors said, “well, we worked with the info we had of you testing negative, but one result came back positive. You’ll stay a few more days. You know we take nose, mouth & sputum samples.

“Am I still positive flushed face?” I asked.

“No, you’re negative,” the doctor replied.

Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi before she tested positive. She was in UK for meeting

“The doctor apologised for the delay. I was anxious to go home but remained calm. I wanted to be free from this pain. I continued the medication and asked to be in a separate ward. Sadly, I remained in the same ward as all others rooms were full.”

Osowobi added: “My ward had people who were positive. What if I get re-infected? For them, I was a beacon of hope & they needed me gone to register the progress. My family & friends were becoming anxious.

“People in my ward who earlier celebrated the news of my result suddenly lost hope. Why are you still here? You shouldn’t be here with us. You should be separated from us now,” People in my ward muttered.

“I tried to calm them. Today, I am PROUD to inform you that I MURDERED COVID-19 & have tested NEGATIVE TWICE! I HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED. I bless God for His mercies. The nurses at IDH Yaba were fabulous. They deserve accolades for their hard work.”

Osowobi thanked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for coming to see her, as well as Prof. Akin Abayomi, saying that the food was good, coupled with his smiling face with heart-shaped eyes.

“Thanks to everyone who called, sent messages and tried to contact me. I am grateful and well. This experience reminded me of the value of friendship. Some people I refer to as friends speculated about this, but never reached out to check. Thank you still. Back to the grind smiling face with open mouth and tightly-closed eyes

“Coronavirus is NOT a death sentence. People can survive and I HAVE! We should encourage people to get tested & stop the stigma. Practise social distancing and stop the spread.

“To every young person out there, please give your lungs a chance to beat this. Can I encourage you to stop smoking & live a healthy life at this time? A healthy lungs is KEY! This another phase of my life & I HAVE won! I celebrate my resilience and strength. Call me SURVIVAYO Smiling face with 3 hearts,” she added.