Deyone Abolla Sampson, a Berbician from the Angoy’s Avenue community, has a knack for anything mechanical.
He can say without a doubt, that he has had his fair share of calamities over the course of his 32 years, with lots of stories to tell, including his most recent experience, where he narrowly survived.
Hoping for an upswing in life, Sampson rounded up his essentials and set tracks for Region one (Barima-Waini). While in the gold mining region, he set his eyes on what he loved most- building and repairing parts for heavy-duty machines.
In his downtime, away from grease smudges and metallic clanking, he would retire to his second love- music. Here, he spends hours masterfully plucking the strings of his bass guitar, or gliding his fingers across the keyboard. The skillful musician has already made a name for himself within his local Seventh-day Adventist church community.
Sampson is also a cricket enthusiast; incidentally it was after an exhilarating game with friends on March 17, 2019, that he was confronted with the most traumatic event of his life.
On his way home from the exciting game, the vehicle Sampson and his friends were travelling, reclined in the path of a truck on its way from Arakaka.
It was 9:00pm on that chilly Sunday evening. The man behind the wheel, according to Deon, was “flooring it.” The same gears were in place as they approached a turn, which, by the rate they were going, could only result in a catastrophe. A catastrophe did
occur when the truck driver lost control of the vehicle, which toppled and was thrown indiscriminately about the forested terrain.
He recalled the very next moment: there was frantic shouting as the persons were asking whether he was okay. While gathering his thoughts, jolts of pain seized his body, more pressingly to his right ankle. The injury was so grave, that the ankle was almost hewn off.
“When I lifted my foot I saw my ankle, on one side of the foot, the ankle was nearly completely off……it was just the skin was holding the ankle,” he reflected on the harrowing ordeal.
The suddenness in which it occurred rendered him speechless and dazed. Reality set in in time, as each pang of pain racked his right foot. He later realised that his cousin also suffered a broken leg, while two other persons escaped with minor injuries.
The scene was swarming with curious spectators. The injured duo was placed into a vehicle and transported to the Port Kaituma hospital before being air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. They were later transferred to the New Amsterdam hospital where, they were monitored for almost a week before being discharged.
Sampson’s life was never the same. Apart from the months of immense physical discomfort and the fatiguing commitment to clinic sessions, most of the activities he once enjoyed became strange undertakings. The internal fixation for fractures saw the insertion of steel to his ankles. They stayed in place for some six months.
Sampson spoke of the grueling days and nights when the pain would overwhelm him to the point of tears, an experience he said, he would never wish on another. The months before the steel was removed saw a restrain to his movements. This added to the frustration. “I used to exercise in the morning, now I can’t exercise. I used to like jog. I used to play cricket…running is an issue right now, I cannot run, because any little pressure and the foot starts act up and pain.”
Presently, there is great improvement in his movements, as he no longer relies on the crutches for support. He also travels between churches, concerts and social events to offer his much sought after musical services. On other days, one can stop by his home New Amsterdam, and would be greeted by the soothing sounds of jazz and gospel music. When his human strength is diminished, the young Christian turns to his faith in God for sustenance. He said he is being patient as in due time, things will return to normal.
