My heart is incredibly heavy today as I look at the memorial tribute in the images below, honoring two extraordinary men who left an indelible mark on my youth: Dr. Isaac Atteh Bampoe Addo and Mr. Sidney Nii Oko Bampoe Addo.
Memories are flooding back of our carefree days at Korle-Bu. I can still vividly picture us kicking a soccer ball around on that dusty, open stretch of dirt between the student nurses’ quarters and the nursing tutors’ bungalows. Even back then, amidst the grit and the sweat of those games, Okoe and Atteh stood completely apart from the crowd.
I will never forget one specific match where I had just dribbled past an opponent quite mercilessly. In a fit of bruised ego, the player turned around and violently, unnecessarily kicked my leg. Tempers could have easily flared, but Okoe immediately stepped in. With his signature calm and grounded demeanor, he just looked at me and said, “Reuben, efee noko,” meaning I should let go.
In a time when some young guys chose to be openly arrogant and disrespectful, these twin brothers were the exact opposite. They were exceptionally grounded, kind, and deeply respectable young men.
When I left for the US, the world was a much bigger place then. Without cell phones or social media to instantly bridge the distance, we unintentionally lost touch. We parted ways permanently without ever realizing it, and I always held onto the quiet assumption that time would eventually grant us a chance to reconnect.
Today, I was completely shattered to learn the devastating news that both of these wonderful men have passed away,incredibly, just three weeks apart. The beautiful words on their memorial ring so profoundly true: “Two Hearts • One Journey”. They were true brothers in every sense of the word, inextricably linked in life and, heartbreakingly, in death.
I am deeply devastated that I couldn’t share even one more word, one more laugh, or one more memory with them across all these long years. Their loss has left a genuine void in my heart.
May the beautiful souls of Okoe and Atteh rest in perfect and eternal peace. May the family and friends they left behind find profound solace in the beautiful legacy of quiet strength and unbreakable unity these extraordinary brothers shared with the world.
Dr.Reuben Hadzide: Matteson Illinois .
