“Dr. Emmanuel Taban travels an unforgiving history to become Africa’s best pulmonologist”
“Dr. Emmanuel Taban is just amazing”, Dominique Dos Santos alludes explaining how a boy who almost failed to live into his dreams gave his husband Jose Dos Santos, a second chance to live.
Dr. Tabans’ story started in 1979 from an invisible village in South Sudan where he says he lived a happy and humble life as a young boy. His single mother and their dilapidated homestead was all they owed to their name.
Suddenly an incomprehensible twist of events hit his country where a bloody Civil war caused by political intolerance in the verge of the country’s political freedom forced Tabans family to evacuate to Juba where peace was somehow lenient. But this seemed like out of the frying pan into the fire.
At only 14 years, Taban was subjected to military arrest and imprisoned into a notorious prison, “The white house“. Here he was subjected to six weeks of mutilation and unspeakable ordeal. Life was a living hell at this very chapter. He was later transferred to Khartoum where he was forcefully converted to Islam.
Taban couldn’t take this any more. He had to make decisions that would put his life on the line. At 16 years, he ran away to Eritrea. The long and cumbersome travel to self freedom had finally begun. Taban trekked 2800 kilometers from Eritrea to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Who would have the Audacity to do this out of his guts? A decision many would never think of taking.
People would say blood is thicker than water, but Dr. Taban wouldn’t read from the same script. His Uncle in Nairobi refused to take him refuge and rather referred him to a refugee camp.
“I was crying, I was angry and that was the moment that I decided to find my own identity so I just knew I was alone in the world and have to face the identity by my own”
Taban alluded (Courtesy: Documentary by Carte Blanche’s Masake Gana)
The journey of 1000 miles starts with one step.. Here the journey was even getting started. Through the wilderness , deserts,dangerous forests with every species of unfriendly creatures, Long unending roads and remote villages with no one to call a friend. Taban finally found himself in South Africa. He has passed through all these countries. You can name them Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.
“To be honest I’m never afraid of animals but am very afraid of human beings because animals will never hurt you but human beings will”, The hard Lesson Taban had learnt from South Sudan he says.
His revolution began in Mozambique during his tough journey. Here a glimpse of luck shone onto his face, he fortunately crossed paths with his guardian angels. A group of Cambodian missionaries who took him and helped him study. Dr. Taban’s intelligence wasn’t the one to put on the weight. He excelled well in his studies and his marks were good enough to take him to Medunsa where he enrolled in a medical school. A doctor in the making if you say so..
Have you ever trekked through a very vast and crude desert, all you can see is insignificant features like the barchans and the huge sand dunes, at points you might be unlucky to come across huge dust clouds blowing onto your face. Even worse you could meet those thrilling desert creatures the scorpions, spiders or even worse dust snakes which are indeed very ferocious. You will feel thirsty, starved, emaciated, thrilled. All those harsh words name them. Then suddenly at a point you spot a very fresh oasis, green plants around it…. This could describe Taban’s Journey to this point. Of course you would run so fast to make yourself the host and the guest, gallop almost all the water in the oasis, crawl in the moist sand and sink yourself in the coolness of the waters… No one would afford to Joke with such an opportunity and Dr. Taban did the same, with the rough journey he went through he embraced it right with open arms..
His pursuit in medical career was stunningly successful. He further specialized as a pulmonologist and a lung specialist; perhaps he saw the covid coming and he would be the man on the forefront against it. The university didn’t only give Taban a graduation regalia for a medical career, it gave him something else special. The medicine of the heart some would say if the phrase is right. A very beautiful wife Motheo Taban with whom they have three lovely children together .
Every woman has the right words to describe her husband, Masake Gana did a fair justice asking Mrs. Motheo Taban how he would describe her husband.
“He is so driven, the ambition, the passion he has in his work, the compassion in which he treats his patients.”
Wow! for sure Taban must be smiling hearing this from his wife.
Perhaps Africa’s best Pulmonarist was born to. Dr. Taban works at the Midstream Mediclinic, this is where he does his magic, he gives covid patients a second chance to live. Who could tell this story much better than Dominic Dos Santos, Someone who almost became a widow in the hands of Covid-19 virus.
Dos Santos’ husband Jose Dos Santos, had contracted covid 19 and at one point and came home complaining of difficulty in breathing. A terrified Mrs. Dos Santos rushed the dying husband to Midstream Mediclinic, she Knew only miracles could be performed to help her husband recuperate.. He had deteriorated. Dr Taban called Mrs. Dos Santos and ensured her that everything would be fine,
One of Tabans most successful revolutionary magics is the bronchoscopy procedure. Taban had never lost a patient yet and he would try this procedure on Jose Dos Santos. A study had discovered that covid 19 patients who were initially responding well to treatment would later deteriorate and die. Dr. Taban and a team of his doctors deployed the bronchoscopy procedure, a procedure that the World Health Organization was against. Tiny tubes would be inserted into the lungs of covid patients and from a scrutiny it was discovered that mucus plugs were accumulating on the airwaves of the bronchus which would block air exchange and cause death of covid patients. Taban used the bronchoscopy method to suck out the mucus plugs and clear the airwaves from blockage and patients would fully recover within two days. This procedure was also conducted to Jose Dos Santos and after a few hours he was well and good.
Dr. Taban was the first pulmonologist in the world to conduct a successful bronchoscopy procedure. Recovered patients would come back with awards, trophies and gifts to be grateful for giving them or their loved ones a second chance to live.
“That day I knew what Dr. Taban had done had brought him back to us”
A happy and grateful Mrs. Dos Santos said to Masake Gana.
The story of Dr. Tabans’ Journey, a refugee boy from an almost invisible growth, travelling through unforgiving experiences had come to save the world. A story that many would be happy to tell like the Dos Santos. Dr. Taban the superhero..
