GRANDMASTER MALCOLM OUGHTERSON uses his strength to deal with the fear of losing his daughter who suffers from sickle cell anaemia.
The martial artist said he joined the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) in 1997, because he did not like the lifestyle of his peers in Black Rock, St Michael. He wanted to live a positive life, free of drugs and crime.
“I was one of 48 recruits who graduated that year from a class of 68. Military training was bittersweet; it was rough for me, but I was happy with the teaching I got in self-control and self-restraint.
It was around that time that Malcolm decided to give martial arts a try, and in no time he developed a passion for it.
“I specialise in Japanese sai fighting, blade fighting and stick fighting, and over the years, I have won several medals and soon became a grandmaster.”
On paper, his military training and combat skill paints a very intimidating profile, but in reality Malcolm is soft-spoken, approachable and very down-to-earth.
As a military police provost sergeant, he has to be tough.
“This is something I was taught at military school in Canada.”
But that fearless persona can change when he is not on the job. For all his soldiering, martial arts, self-control and self-restraint, Malcolm still found himself at the mercy of fear, a feeling he had to overcome when his six-year-old daughter Marisa had a near-death experience four years ago.
“Marisa was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia at the age two. She has been in and out of the hospital for long periods ever since,” he said.
Malcolm had to find strength to face the fear of losing his daughter:
“It’s difficult when you are on the job and have to leave to go to the hospital,” he said. “I am never sure whether she has to get a blood transfusion or if she will make it afterwards, because that is the nature of her condition. It can be very nerve wracking.
“It is very hard to see her in pain; I must admit that sometimes I find it hard to deal with.”
Malcolm learns as much as he can about the illness, which can be fatal, because “the knowledge I gain from attending seminars and doing my own research helps me to calm my fear of losing my only child.
“The more I learn about the disease, the better I feel. At the sessions, they teach you how to react calmly when your child is having an episode.”
The father of two said the sessions on sickle cell not only helped him, but Marisa’s mother as well.
“Marisa benefits also. She understands what is happening to her. She can tell you the severity of her pain and when she feels she should go to the hospital,” he explained.
More public awareness about diseases like as sickle cell is needed, he said.
“Had there been more public service announcements on radio or TV, I would have been able to handle Marissa’s first crisis.
“People need to be educated about diseases such as what my daughter has. The Barbados Government Information Service should produce programmes to teach families about these illnesses. It will help those who are aware and those who are not. People unaware of terminal illnesses will be better able to help others when they have a crisis in the public domain,” he said.
Despite it all, the 40-year-old sergeant said he cherishes the moments he spends with his daughter, and enjoys taking her on different adventures.
On weekends they go to the beach, sometimes go fishing or play ball in Grants Gap, St Michael where Marisa lives with her mum and three older siblings.
Malcolm added that his daughter and her favourite doll are inseperable; if she had her own way, she would take it wherever she goes. (SB)
