When we were doing one of our medical postings in the emergency department of UBTH as students, a middle aged man was rushed into the ward. 

He was a road traffic accident victim and was unconscious, and was reportedly the lone survivor from the unfortunate incident. 

Doctors and paramedics scurried over to stabilise him and dress his injuries, and we students noticed that the good Samaritans who brought the man started disappearing one by one as the nurses started asking for funds to facilitate further treatments such as X-rays and so on.

The last guy that left gave the matron the man's phone and suggested that the hospital authorities could contact the man's family members and let them continue whatever payments needed for the accident victim. 

The matron took the man's phone and quickly scrolled through his contacts. 

She told the consultant that she couldn't understand how the patient saved numbers of his family and friends. 

She tried calling a few contacts but they denied knowing who she was talking about. 

She saw a few numbers saved as "Mummy", "Daddy", "Neighbour" etc but it was either they were unreachable or they said like the "neighbour" that they were out of town. 

Our consultant asked if the man was married, but the details on the few ID cards in his wallet didn't really help. 

No name was saved as "Wife" on his phone. 

Another paramedic searched for endearments such as "Darling", "Sweetheart", "Sugar", "Honey'" etc which a normal man would save his wife's contact as. 

They saw "My Treasure" but the woman who picked dropped the call after the hospital staff phoned her number to inform her that her alleged treasurer had met with an accident and was unconscious in UBTH and needed help of family and friends. 

They tried calling back but "My Treasure" never picked up again. She probably blocked them or switched off her phone. 

The hospital staff were about giving up and considering registering the unknown accident victim under one of the hospital charity case folders (such cases had their treatments funded by government) when our consultant had a brain wave and took the man's phone again. 

He scrolled carefully and found a number saved as "CRASE WOMAN" and dialled the number. 

A gentle female voice responded and introduced herself as the man's wife when his name was mentioned.
She screamed when she heard her husband had met with an accident and with sobs that she would rush down to the hospital as soon as she could. 

Before our posting ended that day a tearful caring wife was by the man's side with two other family members and they were immediately donating blood and getting drugs and running other errands for the still unconscious RTA victim on the hospital bed. 

We couldn't stop talking about that incident for days after that. 

Imagine a man saving his wife's contact as "CRASE WOMAN" and having her almost missed as an emergency contact in a life and death situation?

Under what circumstances did he save her name like that? Anger?
Resentment? Sarcasm?
Or some twisted sick joke?

The guys amongst us laughed and postulated that the one he had saved as "My Treasure" may have been some sidechick or love interest who didn't care or give two cents about him. 

The postulations and speculations continued while our consultants jokingly said they would all rush to save their spouses as "MY WIFE" before they were left bleeding to death because nobody could figure out who to call in such an unforeseen emergency.

Imagine a situation where one has a rare blood group and no medical personnel can reach any member of your family to donate blood for you when necessary?

The possibilities are endless.

Thankfully the man survived. 
Hopefully, he learned a thing or two from that incident. 

~ Iyawo Emeka II 
   January 2025