I Defeated My Darkness

I finished secondary school at fourteen, going to fifteen years old. As at that time, I started thinking about my future. I thought about building a career that could help me live a successful and fulfilled life. As an introvert, I had no backbone to help discover my career on academic ladder. My close companions were my parents and siblings, but they were business minded people. The only motivations I had were my secondary school teachers' congratulations for my good grades in biology and chemistry subjects. This channelled my interest in science aspect of life. 

However, Our neighbour and his only son were medical doctors. Living around these intelligent people helped in my understanding of the importance of education and the need to save lives, not just one life in a while but lives at a time till I die. This greatly propelled an interest in me to study nursing science and becoming a nurse, ultimately give back to society and make a huge impact in a manner that my existence is meaningful in the universe.

I had my parents support to become whatever I think was right for me. But life wasn't as planned. My father, our breadwinner, was duped and life became hard. I had younger ones they cared for, at least to finish high school. They cared for me too. They wanted the best for me, but they were hard pressed financially when I needed to go to university, which further made things difficult for me. At that moment, my elder brother was doing apprenticeship. So, I placed all my hope in him to pay my university fees when he would be settled by his master, after all, it was my father who trained his siblings in school. 

As I waited for him, I did menial jobs and saved little money that I used to enrol in Advanced level program called Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) few years later. My parents were financially supportive too. I studied hard so I could impress my brother and have him pay my fees when I'd be accepted into the University. But life had never been as planned for me. At the completion of this eight months program, my brother told me to kindly go and marry because of the belief that education was a waste of money and time as there were no job for the graduates. He made me believe every word he spewed. My future became bleak. I didn't know what else I could do to live a fulfilled life apart from becoming a nurse. I saw my great dream shattered into innumerable shards before me, but the possibility of God doing wonders in my life gave me hope.

My parents were afraid I might turn out bad if I enter University and they were unable to shoulder all the university's expenses. However, they beat their fears and had me applied for direct entry examination in Ahmadu Bello University, since I got thirteen points out of fifteen points that was the maximum in the program I did. I also applied for JAMB to study in the University of PortHarcourt. In both schools, I applied for nursing. It is noteworthy to mention here that we were praying for God's help.

At the end of that 2012, Ahmadu Bello University offered me Nursing admission and University of PortHarcourt accepted me in their Biomedical Tech Department. I was overwhelmed until I saw their prospectus. It was not so big but my parents couldn't comfortably afford it. And my brother was still stiff-necked and bent on me getting married. The whole situation left me frustrated at one point, though it did not kill my dream. So, I created a facebook account to escape this ugly reality, and joined health groups to keep updating my knowledge on health related matters. And I also joined some funny groups for entertainment. I couldn't afford to be depressed unnecessarily.

 One day, I made a post about diabetes in one of the health groups I joined, and one Carribean woman was uplifted and impacted. She slid into my inbox and we became friends automatically. She wanted to know everything about me. She was wowed that at my age, I had that knowledge about diabetes. She practically begged me to allow her sponsor my education when I told her about my financial issues. She said she wanted to help me reach the peak of my dream so I can help another person. By doing that, she argued that we would defy this so-called men's world and make the world a better place for everybody.

In the week that I wanted to do clearance in the school that offered me Nursing admission, Boko Haram crisis broke out in that part of the country. And I ended up in the University of Port Harcourt to study Biomedical Technology. I graduated 2017 and this woman had never stopped to remind me of my great dream of becoming a nurse. And I'm going back to college this year to study this Nursing because I still cherish that, I am not lost in the attic of my being.

I might not have been where I'd envisioned to be all my life, but I couldn't have been here if not for that woman that picked me up and stood by my side every step of the way. I am forever indebted to her. Without God bringing her my way, I don't want to think how my life could have been by now.