Good People Doing Good Things — Olawale and Temie

Posted on by under Global Issues, Good people doing good things, Social commentary

As promised yesterday, here it is, only a day late, this week’s ‘good people’ post!  Thanks so much to those of you who suggested that I should be the ‘good people’ of the week!  You brought a smile, and I so appreciate the encouragement, the vote of confidence.  But, in truth, I don’t see myself as a ‘good people’, especially as compared to the good people I write about who are out there doing things for others, while I sit home in my comfy chair, with a fresh cuppa coffee, and only write.  But again, thanks so much … I love you all!  But now …

I’d like you to meet Dr. Olawale Sulaiman, 49, professor of neurosurgery and spinal surgery at the Ochsner Neuroscience Institute in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sulaiman-1Born and raised on Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria, he says of his childhood …

“I am one of 10 children born into a polygamous family. My siblings and I shared one room where we often found ourselves sleeping on a mat on the floor.”

There was no way his parents could have afforded to put him through college, but at the age of 19, he received a scholarship to study medicine in Bulgaria through the Bureau for External Aid, a Nigerian government program targeted at improving the quality of life for Nigeria’s most vulnerable communities.

He received a combined MD/MSc degree at Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria, and a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. His neurosurgery training was completed at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. He completed post-residency fellowship training in complex nerve reconstruction at Louisiana State University and complex spine surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, USA.

A well-educated and energetic man, but that isn’t what qualifies him for a spot on the “good people” post.  That honour comes from his philanthropic works for the people of Nigeria.  Sulaiman said the scholarship opened many doors and, in turn, he feels responsible to give back through healthcare.

“Africans who have had the privilege of getting outstanding training and education abroad must mobilize their network of influence to transform our continent.”

Sulaiman-wifeIn 2010, Sulaiman established RNZ Global, a healthcare development company with his wife, Patricia, a nurse. The company provides medical services including neuro and spinal surgery and offers health courses like first aid CPR in Nigeria and the US.  Dr. Sulaiman also negotiated with his employer to take a 25% cut in pay in exchange for extended vacation time so that he could spend more time working in Nigeria.

“I would use my vacation times for the medical missions, which were also planned with education and training sessions. We donated a lot of medications, equipment and hands-on training on surgical techniques.”

RNZ Global has treated more than 500 patients and provided preventative medicine to up to 5,000 people in the US and Nigeria.  But, it doesn’t stop there.  RNZ Global also has a not-for-profit arm called RNZ foundation. The foundation focuses on providing free neurological health care to those in need but who cannot afford to pay. sulaiman-2.pngSulaiman and his team have performed miracles. In December, Sulaiman operated on a man whose back pain affected his ability to walk. The man was able to walk unaided a day after the surgery. Another of his patients is also able to move independently after the doctor did emergency surgery for a brain tumor that previously left her comatose.

“That’s why I continue to do it. Because I think you can really make a significant impact on people that would otherwise be hopeless.”

And, in a related story …

Allow me to introduce you to Temie Giwa-Tubosun, founder of LifeBank, a blood and oxygen delivery company in the West African country of Nigeria. Giwa-TobusunIn 2014, Giwa-Tubosun experienced complications from her pregnancy.  She was rushed to the nearest hospital where her and her son’s lives were saved by a C-section operation.

“I realized after I had my son that the highest cause of maternal mortality is postpartum hemorrhage, the most important thing you can do when a mum is hemorrhaging is replace the blood she has lost, even if you can’t stop the bleeding.”

Since she founded LifeBank in 2016, the company has raised thousands of dollars, launched across three states in Nigeria, serving in more than 300 hospitals and saved up to 4,000 lives.

Donated blood has about six weeks before it becomes too old for transfusion.  Quite often, the blood expires before it is used because doctors find it challenging to get the type of blood they need.  Giwa-Tubosun found that there was a communication lag as doctors struggled to get blood while blood banks were discarding it after the six-week expiration period.

“One of the insights I got was the existence of a surplus and a shortage of blood. We have people on the supply side discarding expired blood and on the demand side dying because the blood is not available. I thought the solution was to help both sides pass information to each other.”

With Lifebank, Giwa-Tubosun was able to connect blood banks with hospitals and their patients. Her team gathers inventory data from about 52 blood banks across Lagos and responds to requests from hospitals based on the data provided by the banks.

Between them, Dr. Sulaiman and Temie Giwa-Tubosun are saving lives in a nation where many cannot afford medical care at all.  I give two thumbs-up to both of these generous people!

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30 thoughts on “Good People Doing Good Things — Olawale and Temie”

  3. This is a lovely feature, and a potent antidote to the deluge of negativity raining down on us these days. I think there are millions upon millions of good people doing good things, large and small, that may simply never pop up on our radars. But they’re out there. Not perfect saints free of flaws and mistakes, but basically good folks doing their best with what they’re given. Of course the polar opposite trend is seeing a vile orange-hued resurgence (as you’ve written about)–but my hope is that this spotlight on the worst of humanity will fortify and embolden those of us moved by the good. Cheers to you and all our do-gooding peoples!

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    • Thank you! You are so right … there are millions out there, some as young as 5 years old, who are doing kind, humanitarian things. I do this feature every Wednesday (except when I get wrapped up in the political detritus and forget, in which case it’s on Thursday). My readers would likely abandon me if I skipped a week, for we all need this diversion from the hate and divisiveness we are living in today. Thanks for visiting … I hope you’ll come back soon!

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        • I’m so sorry to hear that! But, I’m glad you’re on the mend now. Last cold I caught lasted for two months and turned into bronchitis … seems that as we get older, we aren’t able to shake these things off as easily. Sigh. Hugs!

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          • Something important to our family happened recently. My daughter, Sayjal got a small but recurring role as an agent to the lead character Cookie Lyons in the weekly serial “Empire” on TV. The show is in its sixth and last season but perhaps there will be a spin-off as its been very popular. She was in the first episode this season but doesn’t know how many she’ll be in. She’s the pretty woman with thick curly hair. My husband was from here in India. 🙂 — Suzanne

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            • That’s wonderful news!!! I’ll have to see if we have access to “Empire” via Netflix or Amazon and try to catch an episode of it! I hope she enjoys it … and that it will lead to other opportunities, whether through a spin off, or some producer noticing her!

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  6. I hate commenting on your GOOD PEOPLE DOING GOOD THINGS posts, Jill, because I cannot be out there helping good deeds to get done. I do my little parts in my own way, of course, but it never seems much in comparison. Every good deed done helps the world, but so much more needs doing. And these days, that need is overwhelming us.
    As Colette says, your posts inspire us to do more. What we need to do, though, is enough, not just more.

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    • I feel the same, rg … when I start looking for good people, then find so many of them doing so many things, I realize that … compared to them, I am just taking up space. But, as you, Colette, Hugh, Neil and others say, maybe my contribution is shining a light on those who are on the front lines giving of themselves. I think we all have some role in making the world a better place, even if in mine and yours case it isn’t as much of one as we might like.

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  10. How many people out there, give up a quarter of their salary on a regular basis, so they can go help poor people?

    Such inspiring people! Surely, these are the kind of people who actually make society work! We need them now like never before…

    And hopefully, someday, our Governments will have only good, kind people in them too.

    I feel quite inspired after reading this. Thanks for putting a little ‘light’ out into Thursday, Jill. 🕯️❤️

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    • Quite so … these people are needed now more than at any time in our lifetimes … I wish there were tens of thousands of them. Well, perhaps there are. I’m glad you found them inspirational and that it brightened your day a bit! ❤

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