by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer, MMM                                     USA                        23.09.2026

I can still remember the warm embrace of Sr. Salette Mahon as she welcomed me to Ogoja, Cross River State, Nigeria. She was the sister in charge and had a lovely way of making you feel at home. She made sure there was tasty food on the table, and we had many a chat over a cup of tea at home or at the end of a leprosy clinic many miles away. She loved looking after the complaints of the old, discharged leprosy patients and giving them a small stipend and medicines as needed. She also loved to raise hens and knew each one of them. The little chicks were painted pink or purple so the hawks would not get them. One day when Sr. Eileen Morrissey was going over our account books, she saw the strange sight of their colors and could not believe it. The hawks probably thought the same.

Sr. Trinitas Mc Mullen was Matron of the Maternity Hospital which was originally built to deliver babies but eventually turned into a general hospital. Everything was well run and in good order. Sometimes, Sr. Trinitas would ask me to help out with an emergency. Two young women had been seriously burned when a bus collided with a van carrying four barrels of petrol. The petrol entered the bus, and it all exploded into flames. The women had been in Ikom hospital the previous night and were then brought early one Sunday morning to the Maternity Hospital in Ogoja. They were so severely burned that there was no place left to insert an intravenous infusion. I performed cut downs which enabled them to receive the fluids. With many prayers and expert nursing care they survived. Both had extensive skin grafts. One woman, Maggie, needed plastic surgery. She had been a Staff Nurse in the Maternity Hospital. A Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated in the Cathedral, and 10,000 Naira was collected for her to have plastic surgery in Enugu. Her husband was praised for standing by her throughout all her suffering. Her young children had screamed when they first saw her on her arrival home after being away from them for over 6 months. Her face was very distorted. It was an awful tragedy, but the plastic surgery was successful and the family’s love for each other got them through the ordeal. Before very long she was back working in the Maternity Hospital again. I was very thankful to God for all His help and guidance in this difficult situation.

Sr. Chinyere Anyaorah was staffing in the children’s ward. Sr. Agnes Essien was doing outreach clinics for the Maternity Hospital. Sr. Therese Bernadette Mc Aweeney was in charge of the TBL, Tuberculosis and Leprosy Hospital which was across the road from the Maternity Hospital. The earlier Sisters had planted trees. These made a lovely walk or a nice downhill bicycle ride to the TBL Hospital. Sister Doctor Cecily Bourdillon was with me for 3 months before departing to prepare for our Mission in Sudan. Sr. Cecily taught me how to combine business with pleasure, and we visited many of her friends on our way to various leprosy meetings and clinics. One of which was the opening of the VVF, vesical vaginal fistula, Hospital in Itam. I had never seen such splendid and colorful celebrations and felt immensely proud that one of our Sister Doctors, Ann Ward, could initiate such a project, which would restore so many women with damaging birth injuries, to health.

I had been asked to take Sr. Cecily’s place. Why was God asking me to do that? I soon found out. And that is another story.