Nadia Mohammed's love donation

CHERYL METIVIER

Over the past few years Nadia Mohammed has had to make many adjustments to her own life to save the lives of the loves of her life.

The owner of Nadia’s Beauty Salon in Trincity Mall has successfully navigated the challenges of the covid19 pandemic and landed successfully on the other side, and has, as a single mother, put her daughter Allisha through law school.

But it was the events of the last year that have drastically changed her life because of the sacrifice she was called upon to make.

Her sister-in-law was severely ill and required a liver transplant. Two potential donors were initially identified to accompany her to India for the surgery, but were unable to due to their state of health and incompatibility. Mohammed told WMN she received a call from her anxious brother at approximately 3 am one morning, informing her that neither of the donors was a match.

“'Elma needs a donor,' he told me and asked if I would be willing to try. I agreed and headed to the Indian High Commission later that day to secure visas for myself and my daughter."

Travel arrangements were hastily made and after 22 hours of flying, they landed in India and hurriedly made their way to the hospital where she was to be evaluated and prepped to ascertain her eligibility for the life-saving procedure.

"Thankfully, I was a perfect match, so surgery was scheduled for my sister-in-law and me."

Having taken no time to understand the magnitude of exactly what was ahead of her, the full reality and of it all hit her in the moments before she was taken into the operating theatre – she was about to donate 70 per cent of her liver to her sister in law and have her gall bladder removed. She recounted having an eerie, nightmarish feeling as she lay in the cold theatre waiting for the surgical team to begin. After spending seven hours in surgery, then waiting nine hours for Elma's surgery to be completed, they were informed that the procedures were successful.

"We were thrilled, but were cautioned that recovery was going to be hard."

Mohammed discovered post-surgery would be harder for her, since typically, the recipient recovers faster than the donor. It was only then that she realised the number of incisions that were made on her stomach; and that she had not been stitched, but stapled. She said she and her daughter wept constantly.

The doctors advised that that they would have to remain in ICU for seven days before being taken to a step-down unit. But then things took an unexpected and tragic turn, when on day five her sister in law contracted a fatal infection.

"We were devastated. Everyone was inconsolable. I couldn’t process this situation because I was riddled with guilt and confusion. Elma had been making great progress and had made a point of visiting me daily to check in with me. She would tell me, 'Nadia, you have to get better, we have to go home…'”

Now, she said, their travel plans had to be adjusted to include arrangements for bringing Elma’s body home.

She said she decided to forego post-surgical care and they all returned to Trinidad and Tobago together three days later.

It’s been just over one year since Mohammed returned from her ordeal in India; and she continues to deal with a number of physical and medical challenges. The experience has been life-changing; starting with the fact that most local medical professionals are wary about treating her.

“It’s not easy. In fact, it’s very hard because I’m not the same person. Firstly, I’ve gained about 40 pounds and my body no longer functions like it used to...It’s hard.

“And people don’t understand. I routinely get questions like ‘How you get so fat?’ ‘You expecting a next one?’”

She said dealing with the physical and medical difficulties, as well as the loss of her sister-in-law, whom she “...loved dearly and would do it all a hundred times over. She meant a lot to me.”

The trauma haunts her and she questions whether there was something that she could have done differently for a different outcome and a happy ending.

"Losing Elma at 58 has not been easy...I honestly believe this is God’s plan for me, even if I don’t understand why.”

But despite her sadness at her loss, Mohammed said her daughter, 26, and her business bring her great joy.

She counts her daughter’s academic success as one of her greatest sources of happiness.

“She’s one in a million. People have trouble with their children, I have been so fortunate, that I can say I’ve never had any problems with my daughter.”

Allisha is a former student of Holy Name Convent who later did her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law at the Cave Hill campus of the UWI. While at Cave Hill she also served as the dispute resolution officer, and graduated with first class honours. At Hugh Wooding Law School, she did most of her classes and her internships virtually.

Mohammed said despite the financial losses she incurred as a result of the pandemic, she will continue to work hard to return to pre-pandemic business volumes. Daily, she walks into the empty section of the mall where hers is the only business still operating.

"It’s sobering, and on some days very intimidating. It's sad that whenever there is media coverage on the state of business in the mall, the spotlight is always placed on how many tenants have left, how empty it is; never on the survivors who are fighting and struggling to remain afloat.

“I just want people to know that I am still here, and that Trincity Mall is going to rise again. I’m not moving, I’m holding on for dear life!”

Mohammed's journey into the world of cosmetology began decades ago, immediately after she left school. She enrolled for a hairdressing course at a hair salon and was taken on staff upon completion. She remained employed there for several years before branching out on her own; setting up her first salon in Bradford’s Mall, Port of Spain, eventually relocating to Trincity, where she has been for the last five years.

She’s deeply grateful to her clients, many of whom have followed her from her Port of Spain location, even though they reside in communities that are closer to "town".

She has wholeheartedly embraced technology and established a social media presence on Instagram and on Facebook. While there are a few products she carries exclusively, Mohammed has ambitions of eventually creating her own branded product line. Another of her aspirations has been to acquire a Sephora franchise in TT.

“You never know; I might be lucky. I’m not giving up.”