VCB and the Hopes of a Nation

Like so many Jamaicans I am a huge fan of Veronica Campbell-Brown. I have always felt that she represents an exemplary blend of fight and grace. Her confidence is worthy of emulation and her commitment to her craft is as real as her faith. My feelings about her and my vehement opposition to drugs in sports are not however, mutually exclusive. 

Photo by Ricardo Makyn
Gleaner Staff Photographer

For my entire adult life and most of my childhood, I have known my Aunty Vashnie to be a diabetic. As an adult I've spent time with her and have always been in awe of the incredible discipline that she brings to living with, and managing this chronic and life threatening illness. The constraints on her life, which appear deeply burdensome to me, are for her, normal and routine. I have watched her self-inject, prepare food, order from a restaurant menu and do all the other things that most of us take for granted but which, for a diabetic requires second thought. My aunt is now 72 years old and healthy.

 

My former housekeeper, Sislyn, is hypertensive, asthmatic and afflicted with a terrible case of sinusitis. She doesn't have the luxury of simply taking something over the counter when a benign cold threatens. She must at least have a conversation with the pharmacist and even her physician. I, on the other hand, can simply grab my preferred OTC medicine and follow the instructions on the box. Take one teaspoon every eight hours, if symptoms persist see a doctor.

 

My mother is hypertensive and has managed her condition with relative ease. If she's traveling or going out for a long period, she'll hold out on taking the diuretic which is part of her medication protocol. She's averse to using public toilets and manages her fluid intake to prevent frequent bathroom trips on any given day. When she's visiting, I change my own diet to accommodate her, though these days I don't find that adjustment as troublesome as I used to.

 

Elite and even not so elite athletes are constrained in exactly the same manner as persons living with certain chronic illnesses. What they eat, how much sleep they get and how they train are central to their performance on any given day. Most female athletes have the added burden of monthly menstrual cycles which are often accompanied by the cursed retention of fluid; that awful bloating which fattens even nose and toes. Most of us can simply pop a few Midols or any OTC medicine for relief. Like my aunt with sugar and my mother with salt, athletes like VCB have no such ease. They must consult if they don't already know, and must be more mindful than the rest of us for the much needed relief.

 

The reports are that VCB’s A and B samples tested positive for a banned substance, a diuretic called furosemide (VCB's fate hangs in the balance by Kwesi Mugisa), so I did some checking. First I spoke at length with a registered pharmacist then I took to Google to read from a few sites, two of which are http://www.drugs.com/furosemide.html and http://www.rxlist.com/lasix-drug.htm. All that I have learnt so far points to the primary use of this substance for managing serious conditions, "Furosemide treats fluid retention (edema) in people with congestive heart failure, liver disease, or a kidney disorder such as nephrotic syndrome. This medication is also used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension)." www.dugs.com. 

 

Veronica Campbell-Brown is a treasured daughter of Jamaica who has carried the flag along with the hopes of a nation, with absolute pride and joy. At thirty-one she remains one of the best in the world at the short sprints but is arguably in the sunset of her extraordinary athletic career. A blot on her otherwise stellar career is beyond undesirable, at this stage, when time to insert distance is not on her side. I await her side of the events but have no excuses to offer on her behalf nor would I wish to. She will be sanctioned, and one can only hope that what Dr. Paul Wright refers to in the aforementioned Gleaner article by Mugisa as, “mitigating circumstances” will indeed result in a “diminution of the sanction that must come”.

 

The nation and indeed the world await the outcome.