Awele

I never met her and I never will. I knew her from pictures and she looked young and vibrant and happy.

You know those people whose pictures tell you a thousand words? (about how they are fun and exciting and can laugh in every moment)

 Well, she was one of them I guess; but I am almost certain. I have a feeling that if we ever met, we might have been friends.

Calm down , I am not famzing… not best friends, but at least cordial friends.

But we never met

We never met, because Awele left the world.

With all the energy still within her, she left.

On the 10^th of May, Awele was snatched away from this world by Sickle cell.

Awele had Sickle cell Anemia.

You can find out more about her by watching Awele’s Diary on You tube.

Every day Nigerians loose a friend ad loved one to Sickle cell. I watched from a distance as people mourned her and I could not even imagine their pain.

Having a sickler friend or family member is a hard thing.

You watch them have a crisis,

 You watch them scream in pain,

You watch the live a nightmare time and time again and you try to be strong for them,

You watch them through the pills and drips, you say a prayer and you trust.

Then for a while they are good and strong and you say “ oooo, maybe they are done with it for life” and if you know any of them, you know that they live in every moment when they are on their feet , they are so full of life and that makes you love them even more.

Then one day, you wake up and hear they are in the hospital, or maybe you even walk them in, hoping to walkout soon, but they never follow you out.

God bless the upcoming Dr. that will find a cure.

God bless the Dr.’s currently working on it.

I pray one day, there will be a way to end this misery permanently.

Tilll then…….

What do you say to a friend whose genotype is AS and wants to marry someone whose genotype is also AS.?

My friend’s friend is in this situation and so we were talking about it and the right approach- We couldn’t find any.

A part of you wants to shout “ARE YOU MAD? What about the future?

What will happen to the kids and the pain they will live life with?

What burden and sadness do you want to put on the friends they will meet?”

Then while telling you about how they love the guy, they use the words- FAITH

In that moment, you pause and you are short for words,

Because those grounds are holy and you have to thread carefully.

Faith,- that single word.

They have faith God will see them through and they will have healthy babies.

Today, I have a few questions

1.    What do you say to a friend who has faith?

      2.       What will happen if the first 2 babies are SS (I think they check that from even when the woman is pregnant) will you terminate time and time again? How will you cope if you have to do that?

What do you think???

I find it inexcusable for anyone in this day, age, time or  moment in human existence etc.  to walk around without knowing your genotype. There have been a lot of campaigns for that by the SCAF- Sickle Cell Aid Foundation-

#Break the sickle Cycle

#Know your Genotype.

#Test your new born kids.

Knowing your genotype is not for fun, it’s so you can do the right thing which is #Breakthecycle. When you are still in the level of friends, before love comes in, especially if your genotype is already AS, please ask. Please be sure

Rest In Peace Awele.

May God comfort her family and friends and use her story to wake people up to the reality, dangers and pain of bringing a child with Sickle Cell to the world. 

Kidnapped

Have you ever been kidnapped?

Well I have.

Not the “we have your daughter and we are not returning her till you pay an outrageous sum of money” Kidnap.

 In all honesty any kidnapper that will try that will be wasting a good kidnapping avenue, because my parents have nothing but prayers to offer (Prayers is always good enough, but that’s not what the Kidnappers want, especially since the prayers will definitely not wish them well)

I am sorry, I always divert (You should be used to it though)

I was kidnapped by my friend, a guy who liked me in school.

His friend was out of town and he needed to get something from my neighbor, exams had ended and everyone was planning to head home.

The friend, let’s call him  Ash ( Why? err, because I can and the name ain’t bad) and the one that liked me –Kid (shortened from kidnapper). Try to remember the characters.

Ash asked me if I could help get something from my neighbor who was leaving and drop it off at his house with Kid since I would be passing by. I agreed, after all, it was an in and out (If only I knew).

When I got to the house Kid had visitors that were just leaving.Immediately they stepped out, he locked the door. I wanted to go out and he said No (I thought this was a joke, till he walked away with the key.

His reason- he wanted me to be with him, he promised not to touch me, and he did not (thank God, even though I prayed so hard and I am sure my mom was too). He said he just wanted me to spend time with him as that is what he had always wanted from me – time.

To cut four hours short-  I struggled for the key, formed vex, sat closed up in a corner and hid away my tears for 4 hours( he could not see my cry and then feel victorious).

During this time, he kept asking me if I wanted to eat, if I was comfortable, if I was angry (who would not be), if I wanted to kill him (why not) and how he was really sorry and I should forgive him.

He even offered me food and opened the window so I could scream to the neighbours (If that would make me feel better, though he knew no one would send).

I do not know how to feel, glad he was not touching me or sad that I was with a psychopath (who else would kidnap a girl, be begging for forgiveness and expect a smile ooo  and also not touch her(thank God thou), except in Novels, which I blamed myself for reading)

Ash came back from his journey by 10:00pm (he was my price charming in shining armor as I had no idea he was going to back that day)  and set me free, he was really sorry and mad at his friend.

He called all week long to say how sorry he was. Nice guy.

Note that Kid did not touch or harass me, but he locked me up, for hours 4, I mean FOUR GODDAMN HOURS.( Just in case you want to for detective and see how dumb I was, he took my phone from me and yes, even if I was a dumb girl, my adrenaline made me smart and still- Nothing worked)

He was not a stranger to me either, but I felt humiliated.

Considering I already have a terrible sleeping habit. I did not get any sleep that nigh (though I was back to the comfort of my home). I thought of all the things that could have gone wrong.

That is why I cannot imagine Chibok girls, what they might be going through, if they are alive?, how they have wept and what life would have been for them over the last year.

Their mates have gotten into universities, and they are what? Wives of heartless demons?

Are they even alive?

Do they have any hope?

Do they still believe in God?

Should any teenager go through this?

I have had a 4 hours kidnap experience and I still hate the thought of it (though it is a funny story now). Talk more of a year.

What do you think or have to say?

There is no good way to think of kidnap, it is bad in everyway. Imagine waiting for someone, the anger, the agitation, then imagine it against your will. That still has nothing on kidnap.

Nothing in this world does.

The part 3 of Easter had to do with Fast and Furious and how we remembered that Paul Walker had gone, but this morning was day 365 of Chibok girls. I am sorry, but I chose that over.

Paul Walker I will miss but considering there is a plan from how 7 ended for a part 8, the world has moved on (deep breath), It always does.