Jehovah's Witness rules on blood transfusions change, but e too late for my brother

For August dis year, 26-year-old Isaac Valdez bin get epileptic seizure as e dey browse for im local library, wey make am begin convulse and e hit im head for ground.

E lost consciousness. Later, for hospital, dem tok say Isaac hit im head for ground wit force wey lead to brain haemorrhage.

Im treatment dey seriously complicated sake of say, as a Jehovah's Witness, Isaac carry "No Blood" card, one indication wey show say e no go accept treatment wey involve any form of blood transfusion becos of im religious beliefs.

Sake of dat, one procedure doctors go need do to drain fluid from Isaac brain no take place.

But im family, from Waxahachie, Texas, bin dey encouraged by di fact say e regain consciousness and even begin tok again. Na confirmation say e stand by im "no blood" beliefs.

Di family relief at im apparent improvement no too long. Isaac slip into a coma and im condition worsen rapidly.

One neurosurgeon tell Isaac family say di only way to save im life na through emergency operation, but na di one wey require blood transfusion.

Im family bin take di decision to abide by Issac wishes as a lifelong Witness not to accept dat kain procedure.

Isaac - wey be im twin brother Jacob Valdez describe am as pesin wey dey intelligent wey love to volunteer and help di elderly pipo - die on 26 August 2026 wen doctors turn off im life support.

Just 23 days later, di Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body announce one major change for dia teaching wey fit don give Isaac religious permission to accept di life-saving treatment wey im bin reject bifor.

Di change mean say almost all medical procedures wey use donated blood no dey forbidden again for followers. Now, na each individual go decide by imsef weda to accept dat kind treatment or not.

Jacob, wey still dey struggle wit di death of im twin brother, vex say di leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses no reach dis decision earlier. E tell BBC News say im believe say Isaac for likely still dey alive today if dem bin make dat change earlier.

Rule about blood transmission start for 1945

Di original rule about blood transfusion bin start for 1945, near di end of World War II, wen di use of blood transfusions bin dey common for medical treatment.

Leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses come announce say dia members no dey permitted to accept blood transfusions.

Dem base dis teaching on how dem interpret some Bible verses from both di Old Testament and New Testament wey forbid pipo from consumption of blood. One of di verses dem cite na for di Book of Acts, wey instruct believers to abstain from blood, food wey dem offer to idols, and animals wey dem kill by strangling.

So, why Jehovah's Witnesses Governing Body, wey base for New York State, now decide to change di rule now, 81 years afta dem first introduce am?

Di change dey come afta many years of pressure from both pipo inside and outside di religion. But di leaders of di faith no describe am as sometin wey happun becos of pressure.

"Di change na simply application of Bible principles to modern medicine and di way medical treatment don advance," Paul Gillies, international tok-tok pesin for Jehovah's Witnesses wey describe am as both a fresh look at scripture and at medical advances tok.

We meet Gillies for di Jehovah's Witnesses UK headquarters set in 85 acres of Essex countryside.

Na one very big modern complex wia hundreds of volunteer followers of di faith dey live and work without pay.

E insist say di basic teaching neva change and say di transfusion of whole blood still dey banned.

However, for decades, most transfusions no dey use whole blood, instead dem dey use di specific components of blood wey di patient need.

Dm justify di change by allowing followers to use different blood components, like plasma, red blood cells and platelets, for plenty medical procedures wey dem bin forbid bifor.

Gillies tok say Bible mention make believers "abstain from blood", but e no specifically mention di different components wey scientists fit separate from blood.

According to am, di Governing Body feel say na dia responsibility to avoid going beyond wetin Scripture actually tok. Dem believe say dem suppose apply only di instructions wey Bible clearly mention.

But dat explanation shock many pipo and e make dem ask if e no too much 81 years ago to ban blood transfusions in di first place, wen transfusions are not specifically mentioned in the bible.

Some odas to dey ask why e take so long to reach dis landmark decision, considering say medical treatments wey use blood components instead of whole blood don dey common practice for many decades.

For dem, di big question na: if dem don dey accept these treatments don dey accepted and available for years, why the religious leadership wait till now before changing a rule wey don affect so many lives?

These na di questions wey Jacob ask as soon as dem lift di ban, just days afta one memorial service for Isaac.

Jacob, wey don already comot di Jehovah's Witnesses faith wey im grow up inside, send messages to some prominent members of Isaac congregation for Texas afta Isaac die.

Di messages show plenty pain and frustration, and e dey hard for dem to read.

For one message, e ask dem to consider "di role wey una play for encouraging plenty pipo to sacrifice dia lives for sometin wey no ever be God's will."

Most of dem no reply, but one "elder" respond and say im no understand why Jacob dey vex and why im dey focus so much on di policy change.

Di mata make am para di more, as e want make di faith decision-makers to dey accountable for all di lives lost.

"I wan ask dem if dem fit apologise directly, allI want na straightforward apology," e tok.

E dey very difficult to say how many Jehovah's Witnesses, among di estimated nine million followers of di faith worldwide, dey die each year becos dem refuse treatment wey involve blood transfusions. But research for one medical journal for 2016, The Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey, put di figure at around 1,100.

"We dey sympathetic to dia feelings, and if individuals don lost family members and dey worry about some of these questions, dem deserve to dey heard compassionately," Gillies tok.

But dem no too make am clear why di change no come earlier.

"Why e take time? Well, I guess becos e take time, e no necessarily mean say some magic change don take place," Gillies tok.

Some members react to change in rule

BBC follow Alex Ball, 58, one Jehovah's Witness from West Sussex tok. E say for 2012, one doctor tell am say im no go survive di chemotherapy e need to treat im blood cancer unless e get transfusion.

"I wan follow di scriptures as closely as possible wen I bin deys sick, and I tink say I do am well."

Wit help from wetin dem call "Jehovah's Witness Hospital Liaison Committee", Alex see one American consultant wey fit perform treatment wey go boost Alex blood cells without di need for any products from someone else. Im UK consultant agree to treat am using di new method and e work.

More dan 10 years later, Alex tok say im go make di same decision again, despite di change in blood policy wey go allow am do di transfusions dem tell am say e need.

Elisha Cummings, 50, one Jehovah's Witness from Trinidad and Tobago, no fit donate blood give her aunt, wey die sake of di rules.

Di mata also cost her her marriage too, as her husband of 10 years comot di faith and divorce her afta e come to light say e receive blood transfusion wen e be pikin, sometin wey no dey acceptable for her Witness community.

"Since di blood policy change, I neva dey myself again," she tok. "E leave me for one kain depressed mood."

"How many houses I waka go, trying to convince pipo about di blood doctrine? Then now, una come say na sometin completely different," Elisha tok.

Elisha say dis development don shake her beliefs seriously. Even so, she still dey reluctant to leave di faith becos na there she get her community, and she dey fear say she fit dey alone if she comot.

Bifor now, pipo wey disagree wit di "blood doctrine" fit face ostracism or feel say di only option na to leave di faith. So, some pipo dey ask weda dos wey leave becos of di policy fit now return.

"Any individual wey wan come back to di faith go receive warm welcome," na wetin Paul Gillies tok concerning pipo wey leave afta dem or dia relatives accept blood transfusions.

"If dem like to bicom one of Jehovah's Witnesses again and want tok to di elders, dem dey very welcome to do so," e add.