Tag: COMPASSION

T R A N S I T I O N

Posted on by Escape Global

Transitions are beautiful yet they come with new challenges that are surmountable.
Last week when I wrote about sharing music with caregivers, I sort of knew deep within me that it was going to be my last time in the Paediatric ward of the hospital but didn’t know how it was going to happen.


The next time following the period that I did my last post on Caregivers (by the way if you’ve not read it, it’d be good to ‘cos it’s an enriching read).
To my story, the matron on duty gave me a warm welcome and took me to this new ward which was also Paediatric but this time for Emergency cases, there were a number of babies and as she introduced me to the nurse on duty, I was all there smiling and thinking of how to engage babies in Music but nothing was coming. In that moment, the only thing I knew to do was to jump into the waves.

I walked up to the bedside of this baby boy who was 4 months old, his mum was obviously perturbed and worse of all you could tell that having her baby in the hospital was not just her only problem, she seemed to shoulder a lot yet trying to be sane through it.
For some minutes I engaged her in a discussion, she told me of how her baby started teething, had been coughing, running temperature and hasn’t been eating. I was really emotional in this moment, I was on my feet still thinking of what to do when the nurse on duty came to tell the mother that she should get her baby milk so he could eat that was when I knew that her breasts hadn’t been bringing forth milk. I felt for her deeply, she was up and about leaving the baby and his sister with me, so I was left alone to share music with them.


Hmmmm I began singing because of course I couldn’t engage the baby, I just sang while he cried and was yet in pain.
I sang these words I shared today in my video, you can watch the video on Instagram: @escape_global.
These were the lyrics;
Peace through it all
Joy through it all
Hope through it all
You are never alone.
Peace through it all.

I sang this song repetitively for about 30 minutes or more and I couldn’t see visible improvement, maybe only the fact that it lessened his tears. I yet continued singing it over him.

I’m not one to easily give up when it comes to this but I came to a conclusion that the music I did lightened the burden that was in the atmosphere and it also made me accept the challenge of thinking unique approach to be used in administering music to babies in the hospital.

Over the next few weeks, I’d be in this ward so I’d unearth golden lessons that would be useful in Music Therapy administration with babies.

This is the #DiaryofanAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 6

I never get bored reading your feedbacks ❤️

N U M B

Posted on by Escape Global

Ujunwa is the name I will like to give her, I walked in to see her and realized that the ward was a little crowded. The smile of the nurse on duty was heart-warming and welcoming that it made me extra joyful that I had come again to the hospital.

Uju was totally numb emotionally when I got to her bedside even though she was actively using her mum’s phone, I could tell that she cared less about anyone and she was the last child from what I could infer. She was obviously a well-pampered child in her pre-teen.

Having observed Uju’s personality, I helped myself by starting a conversation with her mum and she told me about the circumstances around her daughter’s birth. For me it was an interesting one and helped me calm a bit before administering music to her daughter.

The conversation switched and I was conversing with Ujunwa, she was really open as she told me in details of the ailment that brought her to the hospital. About a week ago, she experienced a very sharp pain at her abdomen, she was told it was appendicitis and needed to be operated on. The operation was carried out, she felt better but still felt pain a bit.

I asked a number of questions about her school and she was still very open with me. I decided it was time to engage her musically and like I try to do with my patients, I always love to have a feel of their musicality so I ask questions like “are you in your school choir?”, “What’s your best song?”, “Do you play any musical instrument?” and so on.

I found out from our conversation that she didn’t really have a musical sense but she tried to sing a song on her dream, trust me I joined in singing. When she was done, I did a very simple and spontaneous song. These were the lyrics;

God’s plans for you,

They are beautiful

and are good!

When we sang this together, we switched and translated the lyrics in Igbo and sang it together. It was such a beautiful time as she loosened up totally. Her smile was bright and she wasn’t the emotionally numb person I met at first. Her mum said to me when I was about leaving “Thank you for putting smiles on our children’s faces”. These words were honestly priceless, I realized again that the little things matter and people aren’t seeking for things that complicate matters.

At the Hospital last week

There are myriads of cases like this that I see in the hospital and many a times I truly wish I could share all ranging from the child who steals your heart with endless smiles at the sight of your musical instrument to the one who doesn’t want you in her space but suddenly opens up to the eyes that are obviously scared of what tomorrow holds for them to those who are evidently drained of cash to the depressed to those who grieve yet try to put up a facade. In all of these I have learnt and I am still learning not to put up a pity face or organize another pity party that they already dread, I realize always that it’s the little things that matters, they all just want an adrenaline push in their emotions, they don’t want to hear the next discovery in their bodies, they want the simple things of life.

This is the #DIARYOFANASPIRINGMUSICTHERAPIST Episode 2

Kindly drop your questions and feedback. It is always a Joy reading from You!

3 Things I have gained from being a part of PATIENTS DAY

Posted on by Escape Global

This post is dedicated to Adullam Vision Initiative’s project tagged PATIENTS’ DAY and just in case you do not know what it is all about, here it is; Patients Day is a special day in the Nigerian calendar set aside to foster the love, care and commitment of the nation to the mental and emotional wellbeing of patients in Hospitals, Internally Displaced People camps, orphanage homes with the aim of seeing them recuperate.

Music is an integral part of this which has made me actively involved for the past 2 years and in each year I have gained what I could term as lessons that has added value to me.
In today’s post, I will like to streamline what I have gained from being part of this event to 3.

Two years ago when I joined in this movement, I was a very timid fellow even though on the outside I looked like someone who was never shy. Being timid was quite challenging for me because it meant I had to go from ward to ward singing to patients in the hospital. I thought to myself what would be the reaction of Health Personnels and patients in the Hospital. Alas! While we went about doing this, It turned out that a lot of persons were encouraged and I had built confidence.
Last year, I didn’t have trouble singing to patients despite the fact that the location I was in was the North Eastern part of Nigeria where music is not regarded. I have built CONFIDENCE!

This picture was taken in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital. Ile-Ife, Osun State. Nigeria and it was my first time of being part of the event in 2017

Another thing I have gained is being able to sing spontaneously without any prior thinking of the lyrics. I think of a line in my head and I’m adding melody to it on the spot and they are songs that stick easily, patients remember easily and sing along with confidence and hope for the future. I have improved musically especially with spontaneous songs.

This was the team that performed in the same hospital in 2018 and it was massive! I was in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria doing same and it was mind-blowing!

I have become more COMPASSIONATE! I used to be someone who was hardly moved by issues that people go through in the hospital and I knew it wasn’t going to be good because one important thing about doing music is that you must connect with people deeply and it can’t be faked because people always know.

Being able to do music at PATIENTS’ DAY every year is always a privilege for me and I’d do it again and again because it keeps adding value to me.

This year’s edition will hold on the 7th of December 2019 by 9am at the following locations;
Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital. Ile-Ife, Osun State. Nigeria
Seventh Day Adventist Hospital. Ile-Ife, Osun State. Nigeria
Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos State. Nigeria.

You can also visit the social media handles of Adullam Vision Initiative to see how previous PATIENTS’ DAY have been.
Facebook: Adullam Vision Initiative
Instagram: @adullamvision

It’d be so good to have you around!

Let me know what you think about this post.
I love reading from you!

Lots of Love!