I hardly write about personalities, but would love to pen down this short piece to appreciate Mrs Lordina Mahama.
I knew her then to be the first lady of Ghana and also saw her a couple of times on television. Each glance at her from afar portrayed a woman of substance, who stood by her husband to absorb all the negative political darts hurled at him and never stood to react. Such calm strength, great character and charismatic women are hard to find.
My encounter with Mrs Lordina Mahama brought a lot of emotional pain, unfortunately, but it also strengthened me. In the year 2015, January, I rushed my newly born baby boy to the 37 military hospital. He stopped breathing while breastfeeding.I didn’t know what to do then, I had to call my husband, who was away on official duty to meet me up at the hospital immediately after my son was revived.
I remember how stressed financially emotionally, and mentally I was as a woman who had just gone through CS and had had no rest as well as the heavy financial headache it was for my husband to eventually comb every day for financial aid to keep up the hospital bills because of the health condition of my son.
I had to stay at the 37 military hospital for about 9 weeks, and you can imagine the stress with a fresh baby on your lap and pains from CS operation. I was eventually taken from the main to recovery ward hoping to see something positive from the medical care and treatment administered.
One day at the recovery ward Mrs Lordina Mahama came in to visit a 5-year-old boy also at the recovery ward. Sitting by my sick baby, I saw Mrs Mahama from afar at the ward checking on a young boy. It was later l heard it was the former President’s (Husband) brother’s son who was also not well.
After checking on the little boy, which was the main reason why she came, she decided to pay attention to all the mothers in the ward. She eventually had time for all the mothers at the ward wishing us well and giving hope to the hopeless. What shook my feet and heart was Mrs Lordina Mahama settled all bills for all babies on admission. This bedevilled us at the ward. She did not choose randomly but said all mothers at the ward. this was around 4 pm.
When my husband came in that same evening to see us, I told him what had happened. What it meant to me and my husband was ” we had been saved by the bell.” The money for payment will then be used to cater for other costs. I recall my husband telling me, ” Abena, l will find her number and call to thank her.”
My husband did exactly that by thanking her for paying our bills for us. My husband told me she had told him that I should have owned up to her to tell her who my husband was, but hey, I couldn’t do that because I didn’t even know whether his name would ring a bell.
The unfortunate happened. My son died a day after, and the 5-year-old boy Mrs Londina Mahama came to visit and also passed a day after I heard.
My husband eventually broke the unfortunate news to Mrs Lordina Mahama about the death of our only son.
She was worried , sad, and wished she could have done something more to see my son back, but God knows best. She particularly took time to check up on me and my family. Mrs Lordina Mahama will not see the week pass without checking up on how l was doing through my husband. The wonderful Lordina Mahama took personal interests in me by asking if I was working and all. Unfortunately, I had left the banking sector and tried to work on my own.
This lovely woman is a blessing to all and sundry. I have experienced her and will never forget how much love she showed me.
My wish is to work with such a great woman in her foundation or work at her office as an HR /Administrator. It would be such an honour
Will love to see her again, and I pray and know she will become the next first lady again in Jesus’ name. God will not shame you, and you shall prosper and continue to be a blessing unto others.
Happy belated birthday as well, mum.
Mrs. Susan Abena Preko Dankwa
11th March, 2024
