“The six best doctors:
sunshine, water, rest,
air, exercise, and diet.” 
Wayne Fields

I most certainly agree with these insightful words by Wayne Fields, author of several books, including What the River Knows. While I find his list insightful, I believe it is incomplete. I can’t blame the author for this, however. Clearly, he has never met Sangena McClain.

Sangena was one of my students at St. Augustine’s College in Nassau, Bahamas fifty years ago. Her energy and ever-present smile motivated me to put forth my best effort in my first year of teaching. People here in the Bahamas keep telling me that Nassau has changed a lot in the past fifty years. In many ways, this is true. One constant, however, is the positivity exuded by Sangena.

I arrived in Nassau last Thursday afternoon. After checking in to my hotel room, since there was still a fair amount of time before the sun would set, I took a walk to Bay Street in downtown Nassau. I was overwhelmed with memories, not just from fifty years ago, but also from visits I made to this island with groups of friends in 1979, 1981, and again in 1985. As I strolled down the normally congested shopping district, I enjoyed impromptu conversations with a number of locals. When I mentioned that I’d taught at SAC, the conversations inevitably turned to identifying people we knew in common. It’s a small island, so this is a fairly common experience.

By the time I headed back to my hotel, it was already dark. I am quite familiar with the area, so I wasn’t worried about getting lost. My familiarity with the neighborhood did not, however, include the uniqueness of the curb at the corner of West Bay Street and Nassau Street. When I approached that intersection, the light was red, so I pushed the button to activate the pedestrian crossing light. When it illuminated, I conscientiously looked around for cars which might be coming from three different directions. Acknowledging that it was safe to do so, I stepped off the curb. I had no idea, at that time, that the curb was 18” high.

I ended up doing a face-plant into the crosswalk. I was in the state of shock… and pain. I tried to move, but for a few moments I was unable to do so. A car pulled up and I heard a woman’s voice asking me if I was okay. I tried to respond, but nothing came out. Within moments, she and two men were standing at my side offering their help. They got me up and off the street onto the sidewalk. I was shaken, bloodied, and thoroughly embarrassed, but I assured them that I was okay to walk the half-block to my hotel.

The front desk team was awesome. They got a first aid kit, cleaned up the cuts on my hands, applied some antiseptic cream, and gave me a few bandages to apply after I showered. What concerned me most about this mishap is that I hit my face on the ground too, causing the lenses of my glasses to pop out of the deformed frame. Without my glasses, I would be unable to see my computer screen, text messages, or menus in restaurants. Sangena came to the rescue.

On Friday morning, she picked me up at the hotel and took me directly to the Bahamas Sight Center where her niece was employed. Fortunately, within thirty minutes, they were able to repair the frames and reset the lenses, and they did this without charging a fee. I could see again!

Sangena and I spent much of the day together. We visited the St. Augustine’s College campus, enjoyed lunch at a small café specializing in local Bahamian cuisine, and in the evening, we enjoyed dinner at the Poop Deck, one of my favorite restaurants in Nassau. They serve some of the best conch fritters in the Bahamas. 

Sangena is not only my former student, she’s also my angel, my caretaker, and my friend. I am so grateful to have her in my life fifty years after we first met.