In memory of Christopher Sandi

On the evening of August 30th our dear friend and colleague Christopher Sandi drew his last breath in Masanga Hospital. He was only a month short of graduating the Surgical [...]

On the evening of August 30th our dear friend and colleague Christopher Sandi drew his last breath in Masanga Hospital. He was only a month short of graduating the Surgical Training Program. His passing is a big loss for his family, our organization, as well as for the friends and colleagues he left behind. By sharing good memories and stories of Chris his colleagues wants to honor his memory.

“I belive my background will allow me to be of great service to your organization. If I´m included as one of the training candidates, I will do my best after to help in combating the problems faced in most of the district hospitals in terms of obstetric emergencies and acute surgical cases.”  – Christopher Sandi

With these words Chris applied for the Surgical Training Program a little over two years ago. It was clear that he would make it through the selection. He was smart, skilled and goal oriented:

“Chris was very competitive, loved to argue and he never wanted to lose an argument. If he was about to lose one, he would force me to bring evidence based proof. He would be the same in sports. We often played volleyball after a days hard work in Masanga, and Chris would not easily accept a lost point. The discussion over the “injustice” could last longer than the a set of the game. Still he never became angry and was a real gentleman” – Anthony Kamara

Although it seemed so, it was not easy for Chris to go through the Surgical Training Program:

“Chris had a very difficult family situation. His father and mother had passed away earlier, leaving him as the caretaker of his sisters. He was the only one of his family who received an education, so he was responsible for making the correct decisions to guide his sisters in the right direction. Despite his busy work, he would take his role as a family man very seriously. It is remarkable how he coped with that situation, but then again he was always very adaptive and on top of things.” – Mohammed Tommy

Just like most of his closest friends, Chris met his wife Elizabeth at Njala University during his training in Community Health:

” Chris met Elizabeth in University. It was definitely love at first sight! In the beginning he was too shy and found it difficult to approach her. Luckily for Chris we had a girl, Fatmata, in our group of friends who helped setting them up. In the beginning she still warned: “Chris do not waste your time, she is out of your league!”. On their first “date”, a group study, Chris took out a book and some how impressed Elizabeth by flaunting his knowledge about antenatal care. Shortly after that he started helping her with her presentations. And not long after that the rest of us stopped being invited to the study groups…” – Augustine Amara

As a student in the Surgical Training Program it was apparent that one of Chris gifts was presenting. He could put on quite a show and captivate his audience:

“Chris was a spiritual man, he used to enjoy praying with his community. This is how he learned public speaking, through praying and preacing. He started as a young boy and preaching actually got him into and through university. He was sponsored by one of the members of their church because of his qualities” – Anthony Kamara

Chris never wasted the opportunities given to him and his motivation brought him far:

“Chris always had a plan. He knew what he wanted and if plan A would not work out, there was always plan B” – Anthony Kamara

“He always wanted to become a Medical Doctor. Chris was very helpful to others and this was his main drive. After his training in community health it was clear that he would go into the field of internal medicine and that he would try to become an internal medicine specialist. However in his job with Medicines Saint Frontiers he was forced to like obstetrics. I was therefore very surprised when he called me to explain that he would join the Surgical Training Program” – Augustine Amara

Ambitious, but also a very good fried:

“It was very nice to be around Chris. He was a very social man with a great sense of humor. He would surely like a good party and enjoy a beer or two. He wasn´t much of a dancer though, but he made up for that by DJ-ing” – Anthony Kamara

Chris was an excellent student of the program and very devoted. During his last posting at Kenema Government Hospital he worked around the clock to prove that he was ready to become a surgical officer. Already he made good on his initial promise: saving lives and doing his part to tackle the great number obstetrical emergencies in his beloved country. The final exams that was due in two weeks time, would have been a mere formality for Chris.

We and the whole of Sierra Leone will miss you dearly Chris. May your soul rest in peace.