Features
Monsieur’s daughter —(Part 7)
‘Sir’ Ms Odame said when David Asante answered the call, ‘my name is Victoria Odame. I’m a teacher at Research School in Koforidua. I would like to come and see you concerning a student called Sarah’.
”Okay, madam. I would be very glad to meet you. How can I make your trip easier?’
‘I was going to join a bus to Accra’.
‘Here’s what we will do. Take a taxi and ask them to bring you to Accra. I will speak to the driver, give him the directions and pay him when you get here’.
The taxi stopped in front of the house. The gate opened, and the driver moved to the long driveway and stopped. ‘What a beautiful house?’ He said.
David and Adoma came out to meet them. Adoma paid the driver as David and Sarah stared at each other.
‘Please come in and sit down’, Adoma invited. She served them with water.
‘You are welcome’, Adoma continued. We have been waiting anxiously since you called this morning. So please, let’s hear you’. Before she could open her mouth, Sarah rose, moved to David, hugged him and sat on his lap’.
They both broke into tears. Adoma and Ms Odame also broke into tears.
‘Sorry madam’ David said. ‘This whole episode has been a very difficult one. But let’s do the proper thing. Let’s here you first, and I will also speak. I’m sure we need to answer some questions immediately’.
‘Okay sir. I have been taking an interest in Sarah, because although she’s brilliant academically, she seemed to be troubled.
Following my discussions with her and some whispers I had been hearing, I went to Aboso Senior High School, and spoke to your former colleague, Mr Hanson. He told me that you were an exemplary teacher who was loved by all, and he also told me about the unfortunate events that caused you to leave for Germany. So I returned to Koforidua with the view to finding the appropriate means of helping to solve this problem’.
‘Great. Ms Odame, I have to thank you for finally helping us to solve this problem. Now, let me state the facts. This is what happened.
‘Gladys and I met and got married whilst we were both teachers in the school. Some months into our marriage, she told me that she needed to spend some days with her parents, and I agreed.
It turned out that she was actually spending time in a hotel with her ex-boyfriend, Simon. This happened again, after Sarah was born. I got wind of this, and told her that I was no longer interested in the marriage.
I started preparing to travel to Germany. She pleaded for forgiveness, but I stood my ground. Then she told me that she would punish me for rejecting her.
She came out later to say that Sarah was not my child, but Simon’s. She went and hid her somewhere, obviously expecting that I would fight to take my child. I was actually going to do that, but my parents advised me that it was almost impossible to win such a fight.
They advised that difficult as it sounded, I should leave the child with her, because she would come back to me eventually. I have absolutely no problem taking care of you, Sarah. I am taking care of quite a number of kids who are not mine. So that is what happened. My hands were tied. I have been trying to find out how you are doing.
I kept hearing that you were doing well at school. I also heard that Gladys and her husband were having problems, but I kept hoping that my daughter would at least be okay till it was possible for me to go for her’.
‘Sarah, now you have met your dad. You will be free to …’
‘I’m not going anywhere! ‘ she declared as she held on to him’.
‘You don’t have to worry about that, Sarah’, Adoma said. ‘We have been looking forward to the day you come home. This is your home. Now, you have to meet your siblings’. She called Abrefi and Adaawa.
‘Girls, we told you that you have a sister who would join us anytime. Now here is she’.
‘Sarah?’ Abrefi asked.
‘Yes’, Adoma replied. The girls hugged her and took her away.
‘Now’, David said, ‘I think it is time to call Madam Gladys’. He dialed the number.
‘My name is David Asante. I’m here in my house with my daughter Sarah. I hear you have told her all sorts of crazy stories about me. I could make life very difficult for you, but I won’t.
You are your own worst enemy. I don’t think you should be expecting her anytime soon. What do you say?’
Gladys stayed silent for over a minute, and cut the line.
‘Food is ready’, Adoma announced. ‘Everybody please come to the table’.
Sarah chatted excitedly with her siblings as Adoma and David chatted with Ms Odame. She kept staring at her father.
‘Now, Ms Odame, after you have brought such joy into our home, should we allow you to go back to Koforidua today, or should we wait till we are ready to release you? I could call your husband and ask permission.
And please don’t tell me you didn’t bring anything for an overnight stay. There are several supermarkets around here. We can fix that problem quickly’.
‘I will beg you to release me. Now that I have been so warmly welcomed here, I already feel part of this home. Koforidua is not that far away, so I will visit often’.
‘Well, let’s see what the kids have to say. Ladies, shall I release Ms Odame to go back to Koforidua? ‘
‘No!’ They shouted, and all broke into laughter.
‘Ms Odame, I will have mercy on you. But we are going to do something to make it easy for you to visit us. My wife wants to show you something. Please follow her’.
‘Adoma led her to the driveway as they others followed. They stopped in front of the car.
‘This is a Toyota Corolla 1600. It is very reliable, and good on petrol consumption. We are giving this to you in appreciation of your help in getting our daughter back to us.
And here in this envelope, is a little contribution to help you with maintenance. And here in this other envelope is a gift to help with your children’s school fees’.
As she stood, stunned, and stared from the car to the envelopes, David put his hand around his family’.
‘Let’s leave her to take a look at her car. Ms Odame, one of my drivers will drive you to Koforidua and leave your car with you. We are waiting inside’.
By Ekow de Heer
WHEN I cast my mind back to a chance meeting which occurred many, many, years ago, I begin to ask myself several questions, the foremost being, was it really a chance meeting?
I can vividly recall that evening at Nkawkaw, when I together with a friend and classmate, went to say hello to another classmate and also a friend called Afful.
As is usually the case when young men, who the youth of today call boys-boys, who are doing their national service meet, the chit chat will naturally involve the careers we would be pursuing at the University.
As the discussion went on, Afful then mentioned that there was a Mining Engineering course being offered by UST (now Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology) at Tarkwa and it offers opportunity to travel outside, specifically to Germany among others as part of the course.
It immediately caught my attention and I made a decision that, I will be going to pursue a career in Mining at UST School of Mines (now University of Mines and Technology), as it was then called. The fact that only six people were admitted each year for the BSc Mining Engineering, did not bother me at all. My mind was made up.
Prior to this meeting, I had in mind Pharmacy, as the course I was going for and was not interested in any of the other engineering courses, but a little worry I had about the pharmacy was my dislike for the scent of drugs that is associated with pharmacies in our hospitals and how I was going to cope with it.
Therefore when I heard about this mining course which had nothing to do with smell of drugs and the added incentive of travelling to ‘aburokyire’, it settled the issue of the choice of career for me. I was going to become a Mining Engineer, end of story. I never discussed it with any of my friends because except one who was going to University of Ghana, the others wanted to go to UST, Kumasi and the fear was that, if I told them I wanted to go to Tarkwa, they might convince me to change my mind.
The decisive and unflinching resolve to go for Mining Engineering despite the chances of not getting in beats my mind up till date. The funny thing is that Afful, who got me interested in the course and had shown some initial interest, never applied for it but went to pursue a different course altogether.
The logical question is, why did I decide to pay a casual visit to Afful on that particular day and time? If we had gone there say in the afternoon, the chances are, he might not be at home or will have been busy and so we will not have had the opportunity to have a long chat for this issue of mining to emerge.
The answer to the questions that readily comes to mind is that fate has something to do with this meeting and that it was orchestrated by a divine authority who rules and reigns in the life of men and especially for those who put their trust in him, he God, directs their path according to Psalm 37:23.
There is a man whose name must also be mentioned to complete this story, Professor Ralph Asabere. An issue cropped up when I was given admission that caused my admission to be withdrawn after I had reported and duly admitted by the then Head of Department and was therefore compelled to return home.
Before I left the campus at Tarkwa, Mr Ralph Asabere, a lecturer, came to my room and comforted me and told me not to worry and that I should go home and further added that, one year is not a long time and so if I really want to do mining, I should apply again for the next academic year and he shall ensure that I am admitted because I have not been treated fairly. I thanked him and left the campus. A year later, Professor Ralph Asabere honoured his word and the rest is history.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
TELOMERES, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, play a crucial role in maintaining genomic stability and regulating cellular aging.
The length of telomeres has been associated with lifespan and age-related diseases, with recent studies highlighting sex differences in telomere biology.
This article provides a comprehensive review of the current knowledge on the role of telomeres in the lifespan of men and women, highlighting the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying these differences.
Introduction
Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences (TTAGGG in humans) that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from deterioration and fusion. Telomere length (TL) shortens with each cell division, and when TL reaches a critical threshold, cells enter senescence or undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis).
Telomere shortening has been implicated in aging and age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia.
Sex differences in telomere length
Women generally have longer telomeres than men, with a slower rate of telomere shortening with age.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that women had longer telomeres than men across all age groups.
This sex difference in TL is thought to contribute to the female advantage in lifespan, with women living approximately 5–7 years longer than men on average.
Mechanisms underlying sex differences in telomere length
- Estrogen: Estrogen has been shown to increase telomerase activity, the enzyme responsible for maintaining TL, in human cells. Estrogen also has antioxidant properties, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, which contribute to telomere shortening.
- Genetic Factors: Genetic variants in telomere-related genes, such as TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptase), have been associated with TL and lifespan. A study published in Nature found that genetic variants in TERT were associated with TL and risk of age-related diseases.
- Lifestyle Factors: Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, physical activity, and diet, can influence TL, with women generally exhibiting healthier lifestyle habits.
Telomere shortening and age-related diseases
Telomere shortening has been implicated in various age-related diseases, including:
- Cardiovascular Disease: Short TL has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke.
- Cancer: Telomere shortening is a hallmark of cancer, with cancer cells often exhibiting critically short TL.
- Dementia: Short TL has been associated with increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Sex differences in telomere shortening and age-related diseases
Women tend to have a slower rate of telomere shortening with age, which may contribute to their lower risk of age-related diseases.
A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that women had a slower rate of telomere shortening and lower risk of age-related diseases compared to men.
Clinical implications
- Telomere Length as a Biomarker: TL has been proposed as a biomarker for aging and age-related diseases, with potential applications in clinical practice.
- Telomere-Targeted Therapies: Therapies aimed at maintaining or increasing TL, such as telomerase activators, are being explored for the treatment of age-related diseases.
Conclusion
Telomeres play a critical role in regulating cellular aging, with sex differences in TL contributing to the female advantage in lifespan. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these differences is essential for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies for age-related diseases.
Let’s dive deeper into the topic of telomeres and their role in aging.
What are telomeres?
Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences (TTAGGG in humans) that cap the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from deterioration and fusion. Think of them like the plastic tips on shoelaces, preventing the chromosomes from unraveling.
How do telomeres affect aging?
- Telomere Shortening: Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shorten. When telomeres become too short, the cell can no longer divide and becomes senescent or undergoes apoptosis (programmed cell death).
- Aging and Telomeres: Telomere shortening is associated with aging and age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia.
Sex differences in telomere length
- Women have longer telomeres: Women generally have longer telomeres than men, which may contribute to their longer lifespan.
- Estrogen’s role: Estrogen has been shown to increase telomerase activity, the enzyme responsible for maintaining telomere length, which may explain why women have longer telomeres.
Factors influencing Telomere length
- Genetics: Genetic variants in telomere-related genes can affect telomere length.
- Lifestyle: Factors like smoking, physical activity, and diet can influence telomere length.
- Stress: Chronic stress can lead to telomere shortening.
Telomeres and age-related diseases
- Cardiovascular Disease: Short telomeres are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Cancer: Telomere shortening is a hallmark of cancer.
- Dementia: Short telomeres are associated with increased risk of dementia.
Potential Applications
- Biomarker for aging: Telomere length could serve as a biomarker for aging and age-related diseases.
- Telomere-Targeted Therapies: Therapies aimed at maintaining or increasing telomere length are being explored for age-related diseases.
BY ROBERT EKOW GRIMMOND THOMPSON
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
