It was in early October of this year that I wrote my previous fortnightly article for this online publication and made mention of the fact that I was taking an extended break. From the 18th October, I have been in Jamaica and, from the 30th October until the 20th November with rest days in between, traveled the country on my second self-sponsored diabetes awareness tour in nine of the 14 parishes as November globally is diabetes awareness month. There was a lot of movement from parish to parish with my childhood friend Christopher Spencer from primary and high school being my chauffeur, without whom this tour would not have been possible, and I am eternally grateful to him. My main base was in St. Jago Heights, Spanish Town, but I also spent time with friends in Graham Heights, Armour Heights, Beverley Hills, and Red Hills.
My intention here is to accentuate the positives in what will be my final article for CaribDirect.com, having been one of the featured writers for the past three years. I thank David Roberts, the Publisher of www.caribdirect.com, for giving me the opportunity to share my views with the readers.
On October 24th, I was invited to The Inaugural Olive Lewin Distinguished Lecture at the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank entitled Lest We Forget. She was the founder and leader of The Jamaican Folk Singers, and all those in attendance were certainly taken down memory lane with their wonderful singing. In the seventies, I was a tenor in that group, and the current leader, Mrs. Christine McDonald-Nevers, led with aplomb. As is my custom, I always go to at least one of their rehearsals and did so on this trip.
With reference to this Jamaican trip, I certainly won’t be able to mention the numerous persons, some of whom I met for the first time, whilst others have been friends and acquaintances for periods ranging from a few years to over 50 years. Everyone involved contributed to making my time memorable as their hospitality and generosity were special. People made it their duty to rally others and produce posters/flyers in order to promote the various events that I delivered, and it was a real pleasure to see the large turnout most of the time.
The impromptu talks, such as the interview on the Gerry McDaniel Palav Sunday show on Radio Jamaica and Rediffusion (RJR), thankfully facilitated by a past Miconian, Everard Owen, were a good means of promoting diabetes during diabetes month. Giving an impromptu address to the congregation at the 7.00 am Sunday service at St. Jago De La Vega Cathedral in Spanish Town after one of the assistant Canons before the service welcomed me, only to discover that he had heard me on the aforementioned radio program talking about diabetes and introduced me to the Canon, both of whom have type 2 diabetes, will stick in my memory for a long while. Some of the groups at the Cathedral want to do webinars in the new year, and of course, being always prepared for every eventuality, I was able to hand out my diabetes contact card.
To have finally met Dr. Bongelo Gombele, a diabetes specialist based at Kingston Public Hospital whom I have known for the past five years and who has a lot of involvement with diabetes patients, was so rewarding. He organized for one of his diabetes groups an event at Stephanie Hall, Holy Childhood High School in Kingston, where I taught in the 70s as an intern from Mico Teachers’ College. Nearly 150 people were in attendance physically, and that was amazing to see such a large number.
Howard Isaacs, the Principal of The Moneague College, and nurse Marlene Brown, the main organizer, along with the support of Ambassador Aloun Nbombet-Assamba, the former Jamaica High Commissioner in London, made the health fair on that campus in St. Ann a community event to remember.
Dr. Kevin Brown, president of the University of Technology (UTECH), along with staff and students in person and online, engaged in my diabetes presentation. To sum up that particular experience in a nutshell, Dorothy Cunningham, one of Jamaica’s well-known and respected actresses whom I have known since the late seventies, attended this online, and I was truly blown away by the positive feedback that she sent to me via a WhatsApp message. I will certainly cherish her comments because, amongst other things, she mentioned that being a person with diabetes, she thought she knew a lot but, to quote her, “It was fantastic, and I learnt so much.”
Periodically at some events, people kept calling me Dr. Kelly, so I had to remind them of my health disclaimer, which always starts off the presentations alerting them that I am not medically qualified and can only share my lived experience of type 2 diabetes, having been diagnosed 20 years ago this Christmas but never taken medication.
Some clinicians/academics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) under the direction of Professor Marshall Tulloch-Reid wanted to hear about my community engagements and public patient involvement in order to replicate that with future health ambassadors/champions/activists and organized an online session with me.
Andrea Hunt, director of the Diabetes Clinicians of the Caribbean Limited, along with Dr. Francis Emmanuel as moderator, organized a webinar for a diabetes patient support group with other Caribbean islands joining to hear about my work for the past 12 years, including my management/control of what I always refer to as a medical condition.
There were many other community events too numerous to mention, but the warm reception received at every venue was a pleasure to witness, and I am appreciative of the lovely gifts that will remind me of this visit and the generosity of various communities, especially in the rural areas. There were also many lunch and dinner dates at some lovely restaurants, and of course, one cannot forget the truly scrumptious Devon House ice cream, famous the world over, courtesy of Peter Ashbourne and his wife, Rosina Moder, who are well-known on the music scene. Being able to wine and dine with Professor Errol Miller, who was the Principal at Mico College when I studied there in the 70s, was really a pleasure as we spoke about many issues regarding his pet subject education and beyond.
I certainly found time to visit Fort Clarence beach and prided myself on being one of only a couple of people swimming with confidence in the warm blue water of the Caribbean Sea, a skill that I have only learnt in the last two and a half years.
As someone who loves fresh fruits, I was expecting to see an abundance of them, but unfortunately, that was not the case on this occasion due, I understand, to Hurricane Beryl earlier in the summer wreaking havoc on the crops.
It rained a lot whilst I was there, and apparently, when rain falls, people tend to stay at home. I was dreading turning up for a diabetes session at Washington Gardens Seventh Day Adventist Church organized by my friend Dr. Marston Thomas, who was my batch mate at college, but to my surprise, despite the heavy downfall, the church was packed to capacity, which warmed the cockles of my heart. That is why I always say without hesitation other denominations can learn a thing or two from the Seventh Day Adventist fraternity as they really practice what they preach in relation to health and well-being.
This was followed by a ten-day stay in Newark, New Jersey, where I met with my extended family on Thanksgiving Day in New York City, amongst other visits/get-togethers with friends and some past high school mates. There are others that I could not get to meet, but they will understand. I must mention the traffic situation there as I thought Kingston was bad in that regard, but traveling to and from New York was truly dire.
This journalistic ride, so to speak, for over three years has been enjoyable while it lasted, but I have decided to branch out independently and do a fortnightly blog still covering a diverse range of subjects starting in the New Year. So, I now say my goodbyes to CaribDirect.com.
May I end by wishing you all a happy Christmas, all the best for 2025, and hope you will still be able to follow me as, after all, I am ubiquitous. Just in case, my email address is [email protected].
2 comments
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs here Tony . I shall look forward to following your future articles .
Tony it was wonderful to have had you here and thank you so much for the work you do. The Moneague Community did benefit from the Health Fair which was wrapped around your talk.