In 2009, two young men lost their lives to massive stroke due to untreated hypertension.
The death of 43-year old Joe in September was particularly devastating to me considering my close relationship with him and the fact that a couple of bood pressure medications, if they had been available, would have made a difference between the life and death of this promising young man. As for 29-year old Kingsley who died in October, the fact that I did not know him personally did not in any way diminish the pain I felt over his death. At 29 , he presented with a whopping blood pressure of 270/160mmHg on both arms but at the time he came, my supply of BP medications had run out and he was instructed to buy some on returning to his base in the city. He was not able to afford the medications and was brought back to the village dead exactly one month later due to sudden death most likely from massive cerebral hemorrhage. The cause of Joe’s death had been confirmed at autopsy to be massive intracranial bleed from burst blood vessel.
If medications had been available to these two young men, they most likely would still be alive today. Keeping such people alive is why I derive joy from continuing this program, even when the task is daunting.