Where do I even begin?
My mother is the epitome of Resilience. She inspires me so much because life has not always been easy for her.
She was born into a family of 13. She is the seventh out of eleven children; you can imagine how many uncles, aunties and cousins I have! 😅.She definitely is from a large family. Back then, the mentality towards having kids was that “God would provide for their needs “. It is safe to say that wasn’t the best mindset to have when raising eleven children.
Her father was a carpenter while her mother had to be a full housewife to be able to take care of the home. Neither of them was educated nor could they speak English. Life was very hard for all of them but yet her parents managed to give her an education. She completed her primary and secondary education.
She went ahead to further her education. She did a medical pre-degree at Ebonyi state, Nigeria. After this she still wanted to go to the university but she also thought it the right time to start a family.
Fortunately, she met the love of her life, a man that checked all the right boxes. He was educated, he was a progressive thinker and above all, he supported her dreams to further her education.
With this she set out to school, after being given an admission to study pharmacy. Pharmacy is a five-year course. This means that the first five years of her marriage and building a family with her husband was going to occur simultaneously with her being in the university studying to be a pharmacist. This was the biggest challenge she had ever faced yet.
She was faced with the task of growing a family and being a wife while also going to school. It was not easy in the slightest. She eventually had four children, three of which she conceived and birthed while in school. I can remember her telling me the stories of how she scaled through amidst the stress and hormones. Apparently she went into labor with the third child, my sister, while in the exam hall writing a paper! She had to finish the paper, submit and get rushed to the hospital to give birth. And even then, she kept my sister a secret from the family because she still had two other exams to prepare for, and if the family knew, they wouldn’t let her breathe. They would be a major distraction.
There were times when she would lock herself up in a room and cry because she was choked up with school work. The pressure was massive and she didn’t want her children to see her be so vulnerable and weak. She was the only woman in her class that was pregnant and popping out babies.
My Siblings & I
HOW DID SHE OVERCOME THIS CHALLENGE?
That phase in her life was neither great nor encouraging, but it didn’t mean it was irrelevant. In fact, it was necessary. She had to find ways to make her journey easier, and she did.
She had a very supportive husband who did his best to take care of the kids when she was not chanced to do so. He also helped by giving her space when she needed to read or be by herself. And of course, he provided emotional support when she needed some.
She hired maids who helped out with domestic work around the house, and also helped with the kids.
She made a lot of good friends with her course mates and lecturers. This helped keep her up to date on the latest class news. It really went a long way and aided her in avoiding unnecessary problems.
She was disciplined and focused. This is the most important because if she wasn’t determined, she would have dropped out a while ago.
When my mom tells me stories of all that she went through in school, it makes me look at her with so much respect and admiration. She really inspires me to be the best version of myself. And now that I’m in the university, her story means even more to me. It has served as a source of strength all through my journey.
My mother is the strongest woman I know and is the epitome of Resilience!
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