Three Nines Fine – A journey with brain health

by Liz Argall

Summary

Three Nines Fine tells the story of Asabi Olayemi, a brilliant African entrepreneur with moves to the UK, in part so that she can get treatment for her early onset Parkinson’s disease (PD). Once she gets to the UK, however, it’s a very different story for her to get treatment, be seen and heard as an African woman. None of the Parkinson’s research brochures represent anyone like her, and she can’t find anyone like her with PD. Through the support of a wonderful spouse, friends and family Asabi challenges biases within herself (it’s not a failing to take medication), within communities and within medical institutions.

Asabi has always believed there is power and opportunity in pain “To purify gold into its finest form, it has to go through intense amounts of heat and so on. I think they call that ‘Three-Nines Fine.’ … In the same way, I think that’s what pain and adversity does to us, it forces us to go through that process of refining. … And you can choose to either come out burnt or refined. … Nobody wants to be in a position where they have to through fire and they have to go through hell. … But if you’re already there, make the best of it.” P.70

Three Nines Fine P. 68

Accessibility for page 68 illustration: Graphic novel page, comprising of six panels. Asabi is giving a speech, and we see her standing speaking, people in the audience and the film crew. It ends on a triumphant close up

Panel 1: When I was first diagnosed, I looked everywhere for someone like me who was talking about it, who was not ashamed to talk about it. I didn’t find anyone. I felt so alone, and I actually began to feel like I could be cursed. Well you know that saying “If you are looking for a hero, look in the mirror”? Panel 2: I did, and it turns out I was looking for ME all along. I stood up and started talking. And it was tough, very tough. I had to learn how to be STRONG and VULNERABLE at the same time. Panel 3: But I’m so glad that I did it, and in a way I have come to see Parkinson’s as an unexpected ALLY for all. The friendships and opportunities it has brought me. Opportunities I would ordinarily never even DREAM of pursuing. Panel 4: I dream of a future for my children where we’re all loved and accepted for who we are, REGARDLESS of how we look or what we can and can’t do. I want to make that future a REALITY, but I can’t do it alone. Panel 5: Our current healthcare system is based on out-dated policies and it’s inaccessible for many non-white people living with debilitating illness. To get to the future I dream of, people working in government need to CHANGE POLICY to make healthcare more EQUITABLE. We can encourage them by SPEAKING UP about our illnesses and REPRESENTING our people. Panel 6: Which means no more hiding. I am who I was raised to be, but no I must become who I NEED to be.

Asabi in this work of fiction, and Omotola in reality, drive powerful positive change, creating space for more people to be seen, heard and connect. This narrative and the character Asabi are a work of fiction, while being inspired by Omotola’s experiences, and drawing on the experiences of other Black British, Black African and Black Caribbean women with dementia. All of this is wrapped together with lots of tips anyone can follow to reduce their chances of getting dementia, without being cloying or trite. Dr Angelika Zarkali, an academic Neurologist and senior research fellow at the UCL Institute of Neurology, served as the science advisor for this project.

This is a very clever fun book, in a world where educational/social message comics can sometimes get heavy handed and overblown (I’ve worked on a few myself and have first-hand experience of how that process can go).

Three Nines Fine states up front that it’s going to color parts of the text different colors based on how they can relate to reduced risk for dementia. It’s nice to have that part of its mission and vision clearly communicated, purple panels communicate things you can do to look after your heart, blue panels communicate things you can do to stay mentally sharp and aqua panels communicate how you can keep connected to the people around you.

And why does it do that? Because, as I discovered on page one of this book, “The latest evidence suggests that up to 45% of all cases of dementia are linked to factors we may be able to influence.” Education is a powerful thing… and continual learning helps prevent dementia too 😉

Part way through reading the book I texted someone very dear to me who has hearing loss but keeps procrastinating when it comes to seeing an audiologist. I texted “I just read in a comic book that the biggest way to reduce your risk of getting dementia is to get tested for hearing loss and getting hearing aids if you need them. Wearing hearing aids can reduce your risk of dementia by up to 50%!!”[P43]  And I will now increase the frequency with which I nag them!  It’s nice when you read something and get immediate, actionable and personal value right there!

I am so pleased this book is centered around African diaspora experience, more of this sort of content is needed. It can be life changing for more folks to be able to see more of their own experiences and it’s very good for white folks to listen broadly and not be the default context.

I recommend this book for anyone who has aging parents or might get old themselves one day! It’s a fun, fast read. I applaud this comic’s vision and the support of Alzheimer Research UK for getting information like this out in the world.

Three Nines Fine was created thanks to the Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Inspire Fund. “The Inspire Fund was designed to empower creative projects that engage the public with the topic of dementia and educate about our pioneering research to find a cure for this heartbreaking condition.” Thanks to this well spent funding, the graphic novel is available for free online, or you can purchase it on Amazon, where a portion of the proceeds go to charity.

I highly recommend that you read the “Where Are You?” essay by Omotola Thomas at the end of this book. This blog post, first published at worrldpdcongress.org sparked the collaboration between Knibb and Thomas and earlier example of how Thomas continues to break ground around treatment and support for people with Parkinson’s disease.

I also encourage you to go to https://www.parkinsonsafrica.org/, watch the interview and enjoy the resources.

(Editor’s note: Lewy Body Dementia is discussed further in the review of Dad’s not all there anymore: Lewy Body Dementia comic.

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Liz Argall’s work has appeared in multiple outlets, including Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons, Meanjin, and Antipodes; A Global Journal of Australian/New Zealand Literature. She contributed to multiple roleplaying games, including Geist 2nd Edition and 13th Age, and is a strong proponent of the healing power of play. Her webcomic https://thingswithout.com  (a thinking person’s whimsy, a hug when you need it), touches on many topics close to Graphic Medicine. You can see a more diverse range of her work at https://www.patreon.com/c/lizargall (there’s even a free tier you can subscribe to). Liz lives in Seattle, but her heart misses the big silly birds of Australia.