Valentine Special: The Icons Who Laid Down Their Life For Strangers

This present age has been engulfed with enormous strife, hate and jealousy reaching the point where many have forgotten the rule of being a brothers keeper.

Valentine is here again and I’m sure you’re pondering on how much love has been shown to you by others. Let’s observe a moment of meditation and reflect on the phenomenal actions of mere mortals like us who sacrificed to lay down their lives for strangers.

Recently, it was reported in China that a certain 62-year-old Doctor, Liang Wudong lost his Life To coronavirus now code named – COVID-19 while treating patients. The Doctor while at the ENT department of Hubei Xinhua Hospital, had been at the front line fighting contending with new deadly virus that was wrecking the lives of thousands. It takes a huge amount of commitment and dedication to put your life on the line when you know the chances of survival are slim. The remarkable Liang Wudong had the option of refusing to help infected people, but instead made the humble decision of giving up his life for strangers.

In Nigeria, Doctor, Ameyo Adadevoh is credited with ensuring that a wider spread of the Ebola virus in Nigeria was curbed with immediate effect. Despite the imminent danger ahead and the constant pressure from the Liberian Government for their infected citizen Patrick Sawyer be discharged from a quarantine to attend a business conference, she resisted the pressure and said, “for the greater public good” she would not release him. This single act of rebellion was going to deny her of living longer, but guess what? The entire population of Nigeria is eternally grateful to her for volunteering to put her life on the line to save millions of people. On the 4th of August 2014, it was confirmed that she had tested positive for Ebola virus disease and was being treated, but unfortunately she died a hero in the afternoon of 19 August 2014.

Finally, let’s not forget the heroics of the 156 Salvation Army soldiers who laid down their lives to save others from dying in the mighty fall of “Empress of Ireland” – an ocean liner that sank near the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River following a collision in thick fog with the Norwegian collier SS Storstad in the early hours of 29 May 1914. On that painful night of the 1,477 people on board, 1,012 died, making it the worst peacetime marine disaster in Canadian history. Majority of the Salvation Army soldiers had the luxury of surviving death but decided to selflessly give out their life jackets to others who were struggling to escape the call of death.

The above-mentioned examples are humans like You and I who laid down their lives not even for friends or families, but for strangers who they never knew.

Let today Valentine celebration remind us of the a popular scripture in the Bible : “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13. There’s definitely no amount of love that can be compared to men or women who decide to give up their lives for others to pursue the glorious future that waits ahead of them.

In a world that is increasingly devoid of respect, care and love. If you were asked to sacrifice your life for others, would you ever think of doing it? Share your thoughts with me in the comment section below, Victor Emmanuel Onuh is my name.

Happy Valentine’s Day❤