This post is for Dr. Kalanzi Isiah, a counselor at TASO, who died in a car accident over the weekend. This Doctor worked in the headquarters of TASO and visited each center all over Uganda to ensure that the counselors are working to the best of their abilities. Over the weekend, Dr. Isiah and a few other staff members were driving in a TASO truck to a community when a boda driver (the motorcyles) crossed in the middle of the road and made the car spin out of control and flipped. Dr. Isiah was killed instantly but the others are in the hospital. I had never had the opportunity to meet him but he was on his way to our center and his family lives ten minutes down the street from the Masaka center; he is very loved by the whole community.
With all that said, TASO was full of grief on Monday morning and all the interns were soon informed of the sad news. Death in Uganda, like everywhere else, deeply hurts all. Everyone at TASO, including the patients, could not function on Monday and had everyone thinking about the value of life. Joyce, the lab tech that is a really good friend of mine here was full of sorrow. She could not imagine and kept repeating how fragile life is and how easily it can be taken away. It really made me reflect on life as well. Death has a funny way of having people reflect on where they are at and what would happen if that were them. It was a freak accident that is all too common here.
The next day was the burial and ALL are invited. Upon arrival there were three VERY large tents with soo many chairs. I could not imagine all of them being filled. I was very wrong. By the time the ceremony began, the seats were not only filled but there were people all lined up around the tents, sitting on the hills, or trying to find a space on the ground between the chairs. The casket was then brought out to the middle of the three tents with his whole family following. There is this humming noise that is very hard to describe but it was a sad hum; it was from all the women humming their sorrows. Everyone, even the men, had tissues to wipe away their tears and no one was afraid to show their emotions. The crowd makes a ‘tsk tsk’ noise basically a ‘such a shame’ exclamation. Funerals here start at 12 and end at 4 or 5. It is a time where anyone who feels moved to come up and give a speech about what they remember about Dr. Isiah. Watching his brother followed by his wife was truly heartbreaking. They then explained that he was the only source of income for his young family (two babies) and now that he left unexpectedly with no savings, the mother must find a means to support all three of them.
I could not imagine being in that situation. Having to deal with the sudden loss of your husband and father to your children and then having to worry about the future. Your children had a bright future ahead of them with school and activities, but all of that was taken from them if the wife is not supported. That is way too much to deal with. Life should be respected, loved and cherished. We are all not here forever. Make sure that what you do now is how you want your life to be and determines who you are. Everyone has different callings and none are better than the others, but make sure you do it. Be happy! Life is too short to say “what if” or “I should have...”. Celebrate your life because it is beautiful.
The Ugandans know how to celebrate the life that he lived and his dedication to people with HIV/AIDS. Although sorrow filled the tents, people appreciated and acknowledged what he had accomplished. The Ugandan smile still shone on all the faces of the people that thanked us for attending and showing our support for the family. Although death is way too common here, people cherish the time the have, and respect when their time is ready. These past couple of days were unintentionally moments of reflection and reality. I love you all and miss everyone at home, or wherever your summer plans have brought you! Sorry this was sad news, but you must always take the good with the bad. Not everything in life is perfect and easy. Enjoy!
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