In mid-2010, I received report that my dad fell hurting his ribs. My mom, who was visited at the time, packed up her bags and left to go take care of him. Sooner or later, our family was hit with the bad news—our dad had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. And so, the long journey started.
My dad would have periods of feeling sick and too weak, frequent doctor visits, hospitalizations, oral chemotherapy cycles, and finally dialysis. I will never forget the many times when he struggled to take 80 Dexathemasone tablets. Tablets higher than 1mg doses were not available, despite nausea and vomiting.
How could I ever forget a staff asking us to prepay for a blocked dialysis catheter to be removed? If we did not pay, I guess it would have been okay to let him live with it or bleed to death. Did I mention there was no education to neither him nor caregivers? Or guidance in purchasing medications from the pharmacy of the absolute best hospital in the country (per his Primary Care Physician’s recommendation)? Then, we received a call that he had been given another patient’s medication.
Dad was a church and community leader. He was the best man that ever lived (besides Jesus). He had many visitors, but few to none were aware of his most needed rest, quietness, encouragement, physical assistance, risks of infection, and respite care.
Nevertheless, in 2014, God gave him favor by enabling him to take a trip to Israel, a country he always wanted to visit. Unfortunately, he fell sick on his way home from Israel, and, approximately 2 weeks later, he passed away.
It is this story and the many untold stories that are in many people’s hearts and mind that have birthed the vison of Grace Resource Ministries.
Grace Resource Ministries is a vision in honor of my/our dad, David C. Kamau. Rest in peace, Dad.
This, and many real stories like this are the reason I am who I am today. A woman with a heart to make a difference in people’s lives and to be a blessing to anyone with a health challenge by bringing information to them. Scripture says, people perish due to lack of knowledge…
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Eva Kamau is a mother of two great young men with a heart to serve the people. By profession, I am a nurse with over 20 years of experience in home care, nursing homes, assisted living, medical rehabilitation, hospital, and utilization management/care management. My journey in nursing started as a licensed practical nurse, later bridged to registered nursing, bachelors and finally master’s in health administration.