Point Fortin mourns for Akeem Adams
By Sascha Wilson (T&T Guardian)
The entire Point Fortin hometown of footballer Akeem Adams was plunged into sadness yesterday, following his passing at a Hungarian hospital. As word spread that the 22-year-old footballer had died after suffering a massive stroke over the weekend, relatives were bombarded by local and foreign calls from people expressing their condolences. At his home at Salazar Trace, Mora, Point Fortin, relatives said everyone was in a state of shock because Adams was showing signs of improvement.
“We are in a state of shock because he showed signs of progress late November and December,” said his cousin Roland Dick. Adams lived with his mother, Ancilla, and brother, Akini, who have remained at his hospital bedside since he suffered a heart attack three months ago. Adams slipped into a coma on Saturday after suffering the massive stroke and never regained consciousness. Dick said confirmation of his passing came around 12.45 pm when Adams’ mother called his uncle, Ivan Dick.
Recalling the last time relatives communicated with Adams, he said it was on Boxing Day. “We had a family gathering and we spoke to him, via Skype, for about an hour. He gave us the thumbs up and he started to weep when he saw his grandfather Asinto Dick,” he said. He said Asinto’s 90th birthday is in February and the family has been planning a party for him. “He saw all the little kids and he wept. He gave us a wave, we not knowing that was his final goodbye to us.”
Dick said doctors eventually advised that Adams not speak because they did not want him to exert himself. He said each day prayer services and night vigils were held in the community for Adams’s recovery and for him to have a successful heart transplant on February 4. Asked if he knew how Adams’s mother was coping, Dick said she was a very strong woman. “She was still trying to come to terms with her husband passing a few years ago. This is even more shocking, he being so young,” he added.
Dick said arrangements were being made to have his body flown to Trinidad. “The Hungarian officials are working with a timeframe of a week. They are making the arrangements,” he said, adding they were also awaiting the autopsy results. Dick, the secretary of the Silver Harps Black Gold Club, said Adams was a role model to the young people in the community. “The entire community is in mourning. It’s a cold atmosphere throughout the community. This family is the livewire in the community.”
Residents who spoke with T&T Guardian expressed sadness over the passing. Toby Agard said: “He is somebody who was real cool, down to earth. That real sad. It tough for his mother, who lost his father a little earlier. I don’t know how she will cope with this.” Another resident, David Ghouralal, described Adams as his good friend. “It shocking, we thought he was getting better,” he said.
Point MP, mayor saddened
Point Fortin MP Paula Gopee-Scoon yesterday said Akeem Adams had made an enormous contribution to the local sports arena. Expressing condolences to his family, Gopee-Scoon said: “I am very sorry about the death of someone who has contributed so much to the sporting world and life of this country and he must be recognised for that. “We cannot question God.” She also expressed her gratitude to the Hungarian medical team who attended to Adams. She intends to visit Adams’s family today, she said.
Point Fortin mayor Clyde Paul also expressed condolences to the family. He pledged the Point Fortin Borough Corporation’s support and assistance to the family.
He has suffered enough—Jack
Former Fifa vice president Jack Warner described the passing of Adams as unfortunate. Speaking with reporters in La Brea, he said: “I think he has suffered enough. It is sad he is still a flower of his youth. A young footballer.” He said the void left in the sports world, particularly in football, because of Adams passing would not be easily filled. On behalf of the Independent Liberal Party, Warner, the political leader, extended condolences to Adams’s immediate family and friends.
