Join Oluwafemi Ajayi in discussing One Thing she wants pain researchers or clinicians to know. She emphasizes the need to truly listen to those living with pain and challenges the stigma many face.
About Oluwafemi
Oluwafemi Ajayi is the founder and president of the Gail Sickle Initiative in Lagos, Nigeria.
Transcript
Joshua Pate: What’s one thing you want pain researchers or clinicians to know?
Oluwafemi Ajayi: From my own experience, pain is like a how do I call it? Is a mini hell. When it comes it’s all encompassing. It wants everything of you. It wants you to cry. It wants your attention. It wants everything of you. Is like you have nothing when there is pain. So to all our clinicians, our researchers and everyone out there, please, we know, I know you are doing your best to make our lives better. But please do better for us. And in all of this prioritize the patient’s voice, prioritize the patient voice because there are no researchers, there are no clinicians, there are no stakeholders of pharmaceuticals without the patient. It’s because of us that you guys have a lot and that you are doing now. So you know the best way to handle pain when you hear our voice. So please prioritize the patient voice, because we matter most.
What I’ve come to observe is that some people actually treat us like they are doing us a favor which shouldn’t be. For example, I could go to the hospital now and then the next thing is when I get to talk to the doctor he is handling me like? Oh, there they come again! It’s either we want to take drugs, or we are addicted to drugs. No. nothing like that. We are the patients. We are the one feeling the pain. Sometimes our pain is invisible to you, but we know what we are going through. Sometimes the pain is very very much invisible, but if you could see, if you could visualize how, how, how killing the feeling is… Then maybe you will empathize more with us. I’d like researchers and every other person out there, please prioritize our voices, and then stop making it look as if you are doing us a favour. Yes, you are doing very well for us, and I know you can do better, but it’s not as if you’re doing us a favor, empathize with us.
Try to look at us from your inner eye, and try to look beyond the bias, the judgments, and then see us from the side of the pain. We don’t like to show our pain to the world because of the judgment, because of the stigma. But if you can look beyond that and see us through the real eye, then I think our lives will be better.
Joshua Pate: Excellent. That’s so great like, what a challenge and an encouragement that kind of all wrapped into one answer.
Thank you so much for taking the time today to answer these questions. And we look forward to hearing more from you in the years ahead.
Oluwafemi Ajayi: Thank you so much for having me.