A regional doctor who waged war against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic ravaging the world has died from the virus.
The doctor identified as Dr Okechi Nwabara was known by family and friends as both a warrior and a gentle giant who freely gave bear hugs.
Nwabara, 68, died Jan. 4 from complications due to COVID-19, said his daughter, Olaocha Nwabara.
“I guess what is resounding was he was a healer as a doctor medically, socially and spiritually. … His heart was wide open, and he understood that that helps heal as much as medicine,” she said.
Although her father could have retired as a physician due to his age, he chose to stay and continue working in the hospital to remain and fight what he termed the war against COVID-19.
“He told me, ‘I have the power to help, so how can I sit this out? End of conversation.’ He worked until his final breath. He didn’t take any breaks. I will forever know he went out like a warrior; strong but gentle,” Olaocha Nwabara said.
Nwabara, who served as a local physician for almost 40 years, was born in Umuahia, Nigeria, on Dec. 2, 1952, at Methodist Hospital in Amachara.
He came to the United States in 1970, joining his mother and siblings who were already in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Nwabara attended Denison University in Ohio, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in biology.
He graduated with his medical degree in December 1980 from the University of Michigan’s Medical School in Ann Arbor, did his rotating internship followed by a residency in internal medicine at Wayne State University Hospital, Detroit, and finished in 1984.
Nwabara held a practice in Gary and worked in hospitals and nursing homes throughout Northwest Indiana for almost 40 years.
He is survived by his wife, Ijeoma; children Olaocha, Nnadozie, Odochi (Jesús), Kelechi Uzoma and Ogechi; brother Obioha; sisters Chisara and June; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, uncles and aunts.
Stephanie Spencer, a nurse practitioner who worked with Nwabara at both Northlake and Southlake Methodist Hospital campuses, said, “To know him was to love him.”
Spencer said working with Nwabara “changed her life in so many ways.”
She recalled her last conversation with him in which he was pushing for her to get her COVID-19 vaccine shot.
“I can’t believe he is gone. One of the nurses referred to him as a gift we could not keep,” Spencer said.
Dr Brenda Thompson, a local paediatrician, said she worked with Nwabara for more than 30 years.
“He was extremely caring and brilliant and everyone loved him. He was like a big teddy bear,” Thompson said.
Jodi Scherwitz-Boling, who initially worked as a staff nurse with Nwabara at the Northlake Methodist Hospital, called Nwabara “the life of the hospital; the mood changed every time he set foot on the floor. He greeted you with the biggest bear hugs.”
Scherwitz-Boling, who later worked as a nursing professor and clinical nurse specialist, met Nwabara 27 years ago when she moved from Colorado to Northwest Indiana.
“He was one of the physicians to offer advice and be kind. Our friendship flourished from there. He attended our wedding, and always wanted updates on his ‘nephews’ — my two boys. He was intuitive with his patients and compassionate. In 27 years, I can say I never saw him in a bad mood,” Scherwitz-Boling said.
“He offered mentoring to any student. He would talk to each group of my nursing students on the unit every day and encourage them to be the best they could and to try as hard as they could to succeed.”
Crystal Frahm, a nurse practitioner at Urgent Care Center in Dyer, said she worked with Nwabara while she was a registered nurse at Southlake Methodist.
“There’s no words. He was an amazing person. Luckily I got to do 180 clinical hours with him. I learned a lot from him,” Frahm said.
Nwabara was “very personable,” and those who worked with him could ask him anything, Frahm said.
“He put confidence in me I didn’t know I had,” she said. “He loved education, so I like to think there’s a little bit of him in all the nurses.”
Dr. Sha-Ron Jackson-Johnson, a local general surgeon, said Nwabara made her feel welcomed as a new person at Methodist Hospitals.
“Dr. Nwabara, from the day I met him, treated me like he already knew me,” Jackson-Johnson said.
No one was an outsider with Nwabara, she said.
“It helped me grow in confidence. He just had a big personality that new people didn’t offend him. He called me his little sister from Day 1. After the last few years, he treated me like his little daughter,” Jackson-Johnson said.
She said she contacted COVID-19 and was so sick she had to be admitted to the intensive care unit at St. Mary Medical at the urging of Nwabara.
“He called me or texted me every day. … When I heard he had COVID-19, it was heartbreaking,” Jackson-Johnson said.
One of the things Jackson-Johnson said she will always remember about Nwabara is his lesson to her about balance.
“One of the things he would tell me about was about taking a vacation. As a general surgeon trying to make a name for myself, I didn’t take a vacation for two years. ‘You have to go to Jamaica,’ he would emphasize. He maintained a balance that helped you be a better person,” she said.
A closed casket visitation or the celebration of life for Nwabara will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Leak and Sons Funeral Homes, 18350 S. Pulaski Road, Country Club Hills, Illinois.
The YouTube funeral service of Dr Nwabara will be held at 11 a.m. Monday. The service will be available through streaming services.
