Helpful hearts and healing hands

Anthony Gifford, Contributor

WHEN CARIBBEAN people truly excel at a skill, we celebrate and big them up, and rightly so. Some skills are performed out of the public eye, but the brilliance of the performers deserves to be no less celebrated by those who benefit from it.

I was diagnosed just before Christmas 2011 with a serious cancerous growth on my liver. I had successful surgery lasting around seven hours, on January 23, 2012. I spent eight days in the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital of the West Indies, and I continue to recuperate at home. Within days of the surgery, I had shed the fatigue caused by the diseased organ eating away my energy, the fatigue which had eventually led to the diagnosis of a condition which, unknown to me, had been there for years.

Reflecting on what I have been through, my overwhelming desire is to big up the people who helped to get me through it. I have been daily amazed at their care and concern, their patience and attention before and after the surgery, their skills and their physical and moral strength.

Total assurance

From the first meeting with the chief surgeon, my wife and I had no doubt that this major operation would be performed here in Jamaica, by his team, rather than in the United States of America (USA) or the United Kingdom (UK). It was a decision which would not be out of reach for the many Jamaicans who have health insurance, for the first cheer which I want to raise is for Sagicor Life of Jamaica, whose plan covered four-fifths of the surgery and hospital costs.

The leader of the medical team was Dr Shamir Cawich, who is a hepatopancreaticobiliary surgeon - which means that he specialises in surgery on the liver, pancreas and gall bladder. He is a Belizean, descended from Mayan ancestors. His forebears seem to live on in his stocky build and his dynamic approach to his work. He had returned in 2011 from gaining advanced experience in Southampton, UK. For our second meeting, he had linked by video with the professor with whom he worked, and together they worked through the CT scans, confirmed that the operation was "doable", and filled us with confidence that the necessary skills and equipment were right here in Jamaica to do it.

Dr Cawich's team also included Dr Patrick Roberts, a Jamaican expert in liver cancer recently returned from Toronto, and Dr Bonadi from St Vincent. In charge of the anaesthetics was Dr Melody Isaacs, a feisty Jamaican whose commitment to the job was total, assisted by Dr Topping.

In the days leading up to the procedure, Dr Cawich spared no effort to ensure that I and my family were fully informed about it. In his view, I and they were essential partners in the venture - "we are a team". When my children arrived from London and the USA he had a long meeting with them, helping to turn their state of mind from being ignorant and frightened into an informed expectation that this operation would work.

As to their work in the theatre, I have now seen the pictures of my liver before and after. It was humbling, and I just give thanks for the skills which were able to do this enormous job, keep me alive, and get me walking again in a couple of days. For the care of Dr Cawich and Dr Isaacs did not end when I woke up - for every day of my stay in hospital, they visited, motivated and encouraged me. Four days after the operation, Dr Cawich suggested that I was fit to walk through the ward, go downstairs, and sit outside in the sunshine. I did it, unaided. I sat on a bench and rang several friends to tell them where I was, my voice strengthened by the achievement of getting there. At that point, I knew that I was already well.

The nurses in the Tony Thwaites wing also deserve three cheers. I specially recall to mind nurses Chambers, Clarke, Ebanks, Edwards, Fowler, Saddler and Taylor, as women who not only did their job, often staying past the end of their shifts, but did it with a spirit of loving support which buoyed me up through the long nights and days.

Many encouragers

By the time I went into the operation, I had had precious support from my wife Tina, my children, and so many colleagues and friends. Tina's infectious laughter and sharp encouragement helped to rescue me when I felt negative and scared. She gave me books about spiritual healing and positive affirmations. My friend Bishop Peter Morgan sent me scriptures and came round to pray. My law partner and dear friend Hugh Thompson came to offer his secular but equally heartfelt good wishes. The Missionaries of the Poor said masses for my health. Nuns in Scotland and churches in London were praying for me. Special thanks are due to those who gave blood for me, including a dear friend who, out of sheer faith in my recovery, recruited a member of her family and three members of her staff.

What I learned from all this is first, that the state of your mind and spirit has a direct effect on the state of your health. During the early days of the diagnosis, I had sleepless nights filled with every kind of worry. By the day of the operation, I was feeling ready, confident and serene.

The second lesson is that the input of others does change the psyche of the person who is the focus of their prayers and wishes. My friends and family include people of many religious faiths, and people who do not have a religious affiliation at all. I am a spiritual person who is not a churchgoer. But whether the outpouring of love which spread over me was expressed as prayer, spiritual energy, or positive thinking, the language did not matter. It was all love, and it worked, and I thank all those who imparted it.

So I am recuperating at home in the hills of Jamaica, surrounded by love and beauty. My first sight on reaching home was of a newly budded mauve orchid. My first drink was a glass of soursop juice from fruit gathered in our yard. They seemed to be symbols of my healing. What better place for recovery? The journey is not over, but I continue it in high spirits, counting my blessings. With the unbelievable support of my medical and family teams, I am well, and I will soon be back doing the work which I love.

Lord Anthony Gifford is a criminal and civil lawyer in Jamaica.