I had put off writing this tribute because this meant I had to accept that I will never get to hug you again or hear you call me "Nnem o."  I learned today that I passed my Oral Board Certification exam and have become a Diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery; yet it feels so bitter-sweet because I do not get to share this milestone with you. 

I still remember your elation when I got my white coat and matriculated into Indiana University School of Medicine. You indulged my requests and attended all the family orientation events for medical students and their families. While I was away on campus, you carefully looked through my library to make sure I had good textbooks for my medical school courses.  You walked around my apartment building then in Indianapolis and inspected the gated parking lot, and were pleased with its security.  You have always been a devoted parent.

I still remember you driving us (Chido, myself and Onyii) through the hillside roads of Ngwo while listening to Phil Collins; we were usually headed to visit with Dr. Ani and his family.  Some mornings, you would let Onyii and I pick up the ties you would wear to work and this made us happy. Then, there was 12 year old me gleefully telling you that you had homework just like me since you were in your MPH program; you responded with robust laughter.

I fight back tears as I think about your passing. It has been painful for us all. We (Mom, Chido, Onyii and I) will strive to find solace in the memories we've made together.  Daddy, I love you and I miss you.

Dr. Ezeilo's departure was sudden, but having lived and touched many lives in very special ways, we are consoled.
Ezenta was an accomplished husband and father. He was a great husband to a great wife, and a great father to his children.
Dr. Ezeilo's care and counsel to all will forever remain indelible in our hearts.
May God Almighty grant his soul eternal peaceful rest, and give the family the courage and strength to bear the irreparable and irreplaceable loss.
May God Almighty bless and keep you in the hollow of His mighty hand. 
We bid you farewell, Ezeudo, but your legacies and values continuously remain with us.

The day i realized why so many people love and respected my father..

It was about 9:15 on a thursday or friday night [hind sights 20/20 but memory isnt]. We were just heading out of my dads clinic and i was very much looking forward to a nap on the ride back home, as i was completely spent from a long, hot & arduous day. My dad would usually take me to his clinic in the evenings after school to teach me complex mathematical concepts in between seeing patients. No sooner had my dad unlocked his car before a hysterical woman with a semi conscious child besiged him. Being the consummate professional he was, my dad led her back to the clinic, even as she was in tears and inconsolable. I on the other hand was doing a poor job of concealing my displeasure at the unwelcome interruption. After some questions and the obligatory doctors check, my father diagnosed her son to have a severe case of typhoid fever, a news he delivered with the tenderness of natural born healer.

What really stunned me was my fathers reaction when she informed him that she had no money and couldn’t even afford to buy the prescribed medication. With the efficiency of one who had been through similar scenarios, my father waved off her concerns and instructed his nurse to provide her with the needed medication. The lady wept and effusively thanked my dad as she went on to tell him that this was the third clinic she had been to that night, as no one would help her.

It suddenly struck me, like a bolt of lightening on a open field, why my dad was so loved and respected by many people. His compassionate care and unflinching devotion to the aching souls that looked to him for a respite from their many ailments.

I miss watching the compassionate caregiver at work