One sure thing about human life is death. And it all comes as sudden death, even if one lived long. Think of it this way, I first met Dr. Anne Merriman in February 2015. She died in May 2024. That was less than 10 years of interaction. About 10 days before her passing, she telephoned to say she wanted to meet. I had had several of these meetings. There was something wrong with our approach to work whenever such a call came. Anyone who worked with her knows how passionate and relentless she was. So, I thought, another passionate talk, etc, I said to myself, “I will go see her this month”.
She had been looking forward to her 90th birthday, and before she put the phone down, she asked if I was planning to come. I promised her that I would find time to visit. I never did, unfortunately. We had a trip to Dublin, Ireland, and other places. Busy bees 🐝 🐝.
I was hoping to visit, but alas, death came suddenly as I wrote earlier. Psalms 90:12 says: So, teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
On the night/morning, Dr. Anne died. I received a telephone call from her friend Rose Kiwanuka. I could hear the gravity of the loss in her tone. She said to me, ”Mark, Anne is gone.” I knew what she was talking about. It sounded deeply saddening.
That morning, at about 8 am, I visited. Seeing the covered body lying there caused a small stop in the rushing schedules. Some 2 or 3 cats 🐈 🐈⬛️ were in the room. Nurse Jane, let me in, murmuring some words of comfort that I fail to remember. Another mature lady found me in the room. She looked at the covered body, touched a bit at the bed, knelt, made a sign of the cross by the chest and forehead [catholic way], and knelt and moved her back and forehead to the ground and up several times [muslim way]. She then stood up and moved out without turning her face from the bed. She was sobbing. It was tense in there.
Dr. Anne was special to PalliativeCare. In fact, she remains and shall remain special to the service—no doubt about that. In many parts of Africa, they say, ‘those who leave children do not die. ‘ The same goes for those who leave a legacy like Dr. Anne. They live among their people and community forever.
Dr. Anne founded Hospice Africa Uganda (HAU) in 1993 at the age of 59, an age when many consider retirement, working until days before her death, just after her 90th birthday.
She developed a groundbreaking formula for affordable oral liquid morphine to manage severe pain. She played an instrumental role in establishing the Palliative Care Association of Uganda [PCAU], the African Palliative Care Association, and the Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa (IHPCA).
Her extraordinary dedication to sick people was not to be hindered, or she would ‘speak strongly’ to you.
Good people led by Miriam Donohoe have created a memorial room at Hospice Africa Uganda. You need to visit to learn about and from someone passionate and compassionate.
Leave a Reply