By: Yvonne Ogechukwu, Jnr. Software Engineer, Assistant Editor.
07/08/2024
Abosede Ogundimu, Victorious Despite All
Meet Lady Abosede Ogundimu, From Nigeria West Africa. She moved with her family to Illinois, USA from West Africa. She later developed an Auto-Immune disease which caused her multiple hospital stays, procedures, and health challenges. In spite of these challenges, she refused to give up and continued to perservere and inspire others regardless of these difficulties.
Abosede has continued to care for her children, despite her condition, and shows tremendous tenacity in the midst of unending challenges with mobility and other problems presented by her condition. Despite surgeries, hospital stays, and other procedures, she and her children remain positive and strong in the face of storms. See the beautiful poem penned by her son, Adetokunbo Sanni about all of this.
Yaweh’s Call: A Journey of Miracles and Faith
On March 12, 2020, the world went into a global lockdown. At sixteen years old, I had
never experienced such a thing. Initially excited to have a break from physical school,
the weeks turned into months, and before I knew it, two years had passed, and I was
about to enter my final year of high school. Life seemed normal again, but something
was missing. Lost and confused, I clung to my ego and a narcissistic worldview, looking
down on others to lift myself. Little did I know that this lifestyle would leave me empty
and desolate.
My faith in religion had waned during the pandemic, as I believed stereotypes that
Christians were homophobic and judgmental. But life had a way of humbling me when I
least expected it. My mom became sick right after the lockdown and almost lost her life;
she was intubated and on life support. At least for this one, I did not see her as there
was no visitation then. My mom had been suffering from lower back issues and
underwent what was supposed to be routine surgery. However, it went horribly wrong,
leaving her comatose for over a week. As hospitals had strict COVID-19 protocols, my
family and I could only take turns visiting her, wearing masks to hide our tears and pain.
When it was finally my turn to see her, I felt a torrent of emotions. Wearing a mask to
hide my tears, I entered the hospital and saw my mother, barely conscious and
murmuring incoherently. It was a heartbreaking sight, and my world shattered.
During my visit with my mom, she would murmur and ask strange questions as if
preparing whoever was in her presence for the worst. Eventually, she survived, but not
without consequences. My mother had to do another back surgery, and this time, she
also almost lost her life due to the bleeding inside her spinal cord called epidural
hematoma. She had to be rushed back to the operating room for emergency evacuation
of the blood and to stop the bleeding. She made it and miraculously survived this
ordeal. The surgery damaged her spine, causing an incomplete T10 spinal cord injury.
Now bound to a wheelchair, her new life felt strange to me. I was used to offering
sympathy, not receiving it. My vices, like video games and social media, no longer
brought fulfillment. I was lost, searching for something more.
Months passed, and my family continued doing their nightly Bible studies. I was hesitant
at first, but I eventually stopped resisting and participated. During one of these studies,
my mother called my brothers and I together. With a heavy heart, she revealed that she
had been diagnosed with Addison’s disease and a known cancer diagnosis. It felt like a
scene from a movie, a surreal experience that made me question everything.
Then, one ordinary day at Walmart, a woman approached me and said, “Excuse me, I
have a word from the Lord. Do you want to hear it?” Stuttering and fumbling over my
words, I couldn’t refuse. Her words were relatable as if she had known me all my life.
She prayed over me for guidance and a heart to seek Jesus, then disappeared without
a trace. I doubted whether it was supernatural or a coincidence, but life continued.
Weeks turned to months, and I returned to Walmart to finish shopping. Once again, the
same woman approached me, oblivious to our previous encounter. Her urgency was
palpable this time, as if she were warning me. And in that moment, clarity struck me. I
had to answer this call. I wanted to spend the rest of my life seeking and knowing
Jesus.
The events that had unfolded and my mother’s trials were not tragic backstories but the
foundation of my calling to Jesus. I began to understand that everything happened for a
reason. The mercy of God had spared my mother, and He used her experiences to
humble me and show me the way. The painful journey had led me to the arms of
Yahweh, and I was grateful for it.
Life may have sometimes felt like a movie, but no credits were rolling. It was my calling
to embrace this new chapter, to carry my testimony, and to share it with others who may
be lost. Through my mother’s miraculous survival and my journey, Yahweh’s call had
reached me, and now it extends to you. Will you answer?
Adetokunbo Sanni