Death, regardless of what anybody has to say about it, is an enemy. It is the single most brutal force of nature with the capacity to terminate dreams and initiate nightmares. As hearts break in sorrow and compassion for Helen Prest at the demise of her husband, it is imperative that the exultation of Tennyson be not forgotten: although man is made weak by time and fate, he is strong of will; to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Before death played its card, Dr. Tosin Ajayi was the husband and sweetheart of Nigerian lawyer, writer and former beauty queen, Helen Prest-Ajayi. By all accounts, theirs was a happy and fulfilling match and fellowship. And then death came.
Reports from the inside state that Dr. Ajayi had been sick for a while now. Only recently was the weight of that illness realised by commiserative folks. Although prayers were raised in his honour, Ajayi died of diarrhoea in Lagos.
Until his death, Ajayi was an honourable, diligent and affable man. Although trained in the medical profession at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, and bearing a Master’s of Science in Cardiology from the National Heart and Lung Institute, (NHLI) Imperial College, University of London, Dr. Ajayi had a catholic personality. Reports on this account describe him as employing his bedside manner in and out of the theatre room – a temperament that endeared him to patients, family and friends.
Ajayi will be remembered for more than his scalpel and stethoscope. His Foundation alone, the Africa Future, testifies to this fact. The most recent campaign on this front was launched on October the 1st, 2019. This campaign was the culmination and result of his desire to see women and new-born babies properly catered for in terms of nutrition and nourishment.
Ajayi has impacted more lives than is registered in hospital records. He is behind the introduction and use of Teleradiology (the transmission of radiological patient images, such as x-rays, for sharing and further studies) in Nigeria. Besides, countless projects in information technology, health reforms and capacity building – as they are related to healthcare – are to his credit.
The man lived. Though death has come and gone, the man really lived.
