Tribute: Dr. Dokpesi was more than a phisician to me, by Moji Danisa

My Doctor, I can’t believe I am writing this. I met you when I was struggling to conceive and yet having miscarriages whenever I did. Under the watchful eyes of God, I had my first baby, Toju under your expert medical care. When he passed at 18months, you were so angry with me. “Why did you not bring him to your hospital when he fell ill?” You asked. You prayed for me.

We believed in prayers and I got a job with AIT and was even happier that I had met the two great Dokpesi brothers.

You were elated when I told you the good news.
God was there for me again and I had my beautiful daughter in your hospital. She was breech and I was scheduled for a CS. When you saw the fear in my eyes and the immediate cold I caught, you said okay, we take delivery of this child in a week.

I remember you saying: “I’ve had over three hundred breech births and I’ve never lost one”. You were a genius gynaecologist.

One of the top four specialists at the time. We birthed my beautiful daughter in your hands. You were elated. You did not joke with her. Her birthdays were special because you would buy everything, including cartons of Turkey.

When I was sent on a course in Jos when she was just three months old, you bought a full carton of Pampers and a full Carton of Frisolac milk. You admonished me to make sure she got all her vaccinations at a reputable government hospital.

You loved her like your own. When she fell ill in Abuja and more than five hospitals couldn’t diagnose, I ran to you in Lagos. We had a very successful surgery. You diagnosed her within ten minutes. She went back, write her WAEC and passed in flying colours.

She is a thriving and happy young woman today.

I am so sorry I did not show as much gratitude as I should have. Indeed the last time I called you was after the passing of your brother, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

Last time we met was at his 70th birthday and first question was, how was your daughter and her brother.

You were a beautiful person, a man with so much passion burning for the your medical profession, you wondered what had gone wrong in one of our meetings.

Oh, I forgot to mention the ganglion which was in my wrist for a very long time. Again, I ran to you in Lagos, Rosecan was the only hospital my mother believed in. I came and you just held the wrist and told me surgery may be risky and you just kept pressing on it as gently as possible, using those medical terms about nerves and all. You advised I went home to rethink it. I was in the taxi back home when the ganglion disappeared before my eyes. It just kept going down and by end day, it was gone…for ever. I called to tell you, in that jocular voice of yours, you said, “Really, Moji, well, you don’t need surgery again.” And you laughed so heartily.

I went from calling you Dr. Cyril to Uncle Cyril. You were always there. Always always there for me.

I can write a whole book about the whole time you were my physician, my doctor, my advisor, my Uncle.

You were generous, you were kind, you were the best. We all loved you.
When I saw the news of your passing yesterday on Facebook, my heart broke. I went crazy but I remembered one of the lectures you gave me and Ògbéni: “You said, don’t waste your life building houses and acquiring wealth, build a small house and travel. The children you are building what you think is comfort for, will leave home and have their own dreams and that house will not appeal to them anymore. They will have finer tastes than you and they will advise you to sell your house”.

As I pondered on those words, I realized how true they were and how even I was one of those advising my mum to sell her house she no longer lives in and live her life.

You gave me so many advice about life, everytime we met. You were like the rock I could always run to.

I’m sorry if it seems I took it all for granted.

The immediate deep pain I felt in my heart was so bad but again, I said Doctor won’t like this. He would say, ‘Moji remember, your health first’.

Dr Cyril Dokpesi, you lived a good life of service. You lived for people. You lived by the Hippocratic Oath, an embodiment of what it truly means.

Your death coming so soon after that of High Chief Raymond, is devastating.

May God console all your loved ones, the entire Dokpesi family and the great people of Agenebode.

Rest in peace, our dear Dr. Cyril. @highlight