Bodioh Siapoe Needs Adequate Care and A Loving Home, Not Family Feud       1             1940 - 11112008f- Two- Soccer Legends

  Wednesday, December 16, 2009             

Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh

       When I left Atlanta with my wife, Geebly, to visit our ailing friend, Bodioh Wisseh Siapoe in Denver, Colorado, on December 11, I expected to see an incoherent, frail, and a very sick colleague, who was being fed intravenously by healthcare workers with tubes running throughout his veins and in every part of his body. But not so.

     So sick, according to those people, I expected him to whisper to me frustratingly (if he could), about his pessimistic view of himself, about life, his recovery, and a desire to died like I have been told over and over by those, who supposedly met and talked to him after he had a heart attack and a massive stroke over a year ago, that got him in a nursing home today.

            Bodioh Wisseh Siapoe posed for picture in nursing home cafeteria

     The truth is, I did not know what to expect and wasn’t prepared for what was ahead after I finally arrived in the facility to see Bodioh, because of the sad stories I constantly heard about his health. So nervous, I immediately reached for the restroom to get myself together - a way to relieve me of the tension I was feeling at the time, as I was about to meet a guy whom I considered a 'brother' and one of my best friends in the world.

     The visit my wife and I had with Bodioh wasn't only heartwarming, it was meaningful and therapeutic because I was finally able to see and know firsthand the status of a political/ intellectual soul mate, who came close to being silenced by the hard realities of death, but continues to be defiant even in sickness; a reminder to us all about the fragility of life and how we humans, especially those of us from Liberia should learn how to be our brother's and sister's keepers in these difficult times. 

                          Tewroh and Geebly Sungbeh visits ailing friend

     Bodioh Wisseh Siapoe, the firebrand I met lying in a bed in that Denver nursing home was a coherent and engaging individual who hasn't lost any of the smartness and intellectual vigor he's known for; and still has in him the radicalism that defined him when he was an uncompromising and fearless political activist who sacrificed it all to keep the political flames burning on undemocratic and corrupt government officials in Liberia.

    "Do you remember me?" I asked him after I finally arrived in his room. "You are Wehtoe,” (his usual way of calling me). “Wehtoe, you and I go a long way," he said again in a tone that is evidenced of his slurring speech, a sad reminder of the massive stroke and heart attack that confined him to a bed, a wheelchair, and the nursing home that is now his temporary or permanent home.

                              Bodioh Wisseh Siapoe and Tewroh-Wehtoe Sungbeh

     At this moment, I am unsure whether the nursing home where Bodioh is now being treated is his temporary or permanent home because of the internecine family feud between his Zairian-born wife and mother of his two sons who reportedly lives in a shelter; and his sister, Catherine, who said she is willing to take Bodioh home to care for him but cannot because of the conflict she has with his wife, and a court order – courtesy of Bodioh’s wife, which also bar his sister from visiting him on weekdays, except weekends, and from cooking and taking food to him in the nursing home.

     The conflict is also affecting any help Bodioh could or should have gotten from family members, if they were on speaking terms. Because of the reported homelessness of his wife, Bodioh is not making any daily or weekly home visits to his wife, and she is not, according to his sister, taking him for a walk in the park or anywhere. His sister cannot, either, because of the court order. Whatever care and therapy he receives now rests in the hands and at the mercy of nursing home workers, with no oversight whatsoever coming from family members to demand that the nursing home take good care of him the way they would like him to be treated.

               Catherine and Bodioh (sister and brother)                                                                               

    Bodioh is aware of the family feud between his wife and sister, and with endless contradictions blame and loves his wife one minute, and blames his sister and acknowledges the fact that she is his “mother” the next minute. “The two people don’t like each other” he said. “Since I got sick, my wife has always been by my side taking care of me, while my sister is not doing her part,” he remarked. But then again, he said this: My so-called wife does not come around me. My sister has been the only one who is taking care of me. She is my mother in America, representing our deceased mother.”

     No joke about it, Bodioh craves homemade Liberian food, and talks about it throughout our visit with him. “I am tired eating European food,” he said of the food he eats daily at the nursing home. “I want fufu and soup with okra and pepper in it. If I knew the direction of my sister’s apartment, then I will runaway,” as if he’s capable of walking. When I jokingly asked him if I could help shave his gray beard, he replied: “I will not cut this beard because I want to look like Fidel Castro,” a reference to the bearded former Cuban leader. 

     Even though he is paralyzed on his left side and slurs when he speaks, Bodioh is optimistic that he will walk one day, and believes he will also use his left hand and the rest of his body one day as well. About death, he said this: "Wehtoe, I almost died, but I will not died just now. During our lengthy conversation, he talks about religion, and said "God is Good," and asked me whether I know Jesus, or "you are still a radical? When a band came by to entertain residents with Christmas songs, he remarked "I don't listen to European music. I am a Rasta and a radical, because a radical is always a radical."

     Our visit with Bodioh uplifted his spirit and brought him joy during his darkest hours. That is not enough. He needs the support of all – his friends and family members to sacrifice the time, money, and energies to visit him. However, if the stories that were narrated to us are true, then Bodioh’s wife is not ready and prepared to take care of her husband at this time. If the stories told are true, then the court order has to be re-visited so that Bodioh will be cared for by his sister in a stable and loving home, with healthcare workers going to his sister’s home to provide him medical services. 

     There is also a need to contact legal aid and social workers to represent the brother, and ascertain whether his wife is doing exactly what she has been accused of doing, so as to give his sister full custody of him.

Below are (Bodioh's) Richard Donald's address and phone numbers.

Richard Donald

Highline Rehab & Care Community

6060 East Iliff Ave

Denver, Colorado 80222  

Catherine Donald (Bodioh Sister's #).

303-923-3644   

(Facility’s Phone #) 303-759-4221

Richard Donald/Bodioh’s Room #: 

303-586-5152.

Editor’s Note:

 Bodioh is left-handed. Because of the paralysis to his left side, it might be difficult for him to answer the phone in his room. If that happens, then you will need to call the facility’s direct line, or call his sister at the number below.

Catherine Donald (Bodioh Sister's #).

303-923-3644