I heard my husband's voice for the first time, three years after my marriage.......My hearing journey continues
By Kemi Mobuse - Monday, September 11, 2017
One good thing came out of this; I got approached by a lot of individuals; going through same issue, some by themselves, for others; it's their family member or relative. and this made my heart ache afresh and makes me more determined to renew my promise to launch my Foundation and NGO to deal with it all.
I have began to put the processes into place, and God helping me, it will come to light sooner than later....Amen....
so, back to the story.........
You see, I am hearing
Challenge too, and though it was once a stigma, its now something I wear with
pride, simply because, I am a better person partly because of that.
What caused my hearing Challenges, is something I will leave
out for now...When the problem started manifesting in 1995 though, I became
scared that, my life was over even before it began.....
I was the best student back then in my secondary school,
always taking the first position, and i was more hated than loved because of
it, this continued throughout my Jss1 - Jss3 days...suddenly one day, I noticed that, while the
teacher was giving us dictation, which happens to be one of my best subject, I
found it hard to catch what she said, I strained my ears, but all i could hear
was a whooshing sound, like foaming water...then things went downhill from
there, out of nowhere, I will feel myself shoved, pinched , and shouted at, I
was told, they were trying to catch my attention, because i didn't hear them
call me.at a point, someone will throw a stone at me, or it could be any
object, all in the name of calling me, I was later nicknamed " Aditi
Oloko" - (deaf boatman)... within me, I was dying silently, but I tried to
be strong....I realized i had to work extra hard to maintain my first position,
but alas i found myself at the second position for the first time ever...i
became ill and I realized i needed to work extra hard....long story short, I
had to become a recluse, I who was an active member of virtually all the clubs
in the school, and I meant ALL, i had to start keeping to myself.....I was
afraid to talk when in a group, but I strived very hard to keep put across an
'I don't care " attitude ,but in secret, I cry endlessly, I read more and
more since all i hear in class is silence...I borne my pain alone....Till I
eventually graduated....
Then comes my University days, I was determined, not to
go through this journey alone, In Fact, during my registration days, My mother,
God Bless her soul, followed me up and down, telling anyone who cares to
listen, that I have hearing problem, egbami! I always wished the ground will
just open up and swallow me up....but it never did...
Gradually I made Friends, Ibrahim Aminat Temitope, Imana Jemmy Ucheji, Asiku Cynthia Oiwoh, Oppy Oguns, Ebony Teddyamong others, made my stay in school very easy, after hearing
my story, they allowed me to copy their notes and Ibrahim Aminat Temitope was my special tutor, but these special women, were my
core women even till date, they protected me and took the pains to understand
me.....I met my amazing sister Gbemisola Omojola in my 2nd year...Infact, she was among those friends
who would have passed me by, because I came off as aloof and proud to her, not
knowing that, that was a cover for what was ailing me...
I lost a lot of suitors
and friends due to that as well, as I was seen as proud and aloof...my
relationships back then were extremely complicated because of my ears, and I
kept on getting heartbroken, one after the other, at a point, I decided to end
my life, but Thank God, for the timely intervention of Bolanle Sebastian Ilori's husband..God saved me....then school was over...and there
i was, single and "deaf"..
I never gave up, because it was never an
option...I had my B.sc and graduated with 2.1 and started working immediately
after service....Estate Management....in a customer relation department...my
challenges were apparent and many, but I kept at it and did what I could and I
managed through the rest. several heartbreaks later, I met my sweetheart
courtesy of Gbemisola Omojola, I told him the truth from the onset, infact i listed it
out...wo! I am hard of hearing, and I am not here to play, no sex till wedding
night if we made it that far, been there, done that, but if you get to know me,
you will like me sha....lol! short story, we got married 11 months after...
All through the courtship period, I could only lipread my
husband, I never heard his voice, on the day of the proposal, husby was still
spewing English, werin concern me? In my mind, I was like, Oga, see hand joor,
make you do quick and put ring, so me too can pose and show off, hehe! I failed
to mention that; out of desperation, I nearly got married before then, to a
womanizer, a wife beater, an emotional blackmailer among others, this guy took
advantage of my hearing challenge, and calls women in my presence, secure in
the fact, that i couldn't hear him, he forgot what i lacked in sound, I made up
for in perception, I eventually caught him and called off the engagement, three
days to the Introduction and oh boy! am i glad I did.
On the day of my court wedding, I had to read my vows off a
paper instead of repeating after the official, but on the day of my white
wedding.....God Rose up for me and proved Himself God, though I was given a
paper to read from, instead, I heard the pastor clearly....I heard the song,
the sermon, everything and at the reception, my friends decided to shield me
from disgrace and told me to follow their dance steps, but guess what? Once I
stepped into the hall, I heard again...i Danced to the beat, that my husby
threw his jacket away at a point, to match up with me.....everyone was shocked
and they thought I used hearing aids, but then...I had none to even use...
Fast
Forward, to having my first baby, I prayed that I will hear, when I push him
out, but no such luck, I had to sleep most times, with one hand on his back, to
know when he moves, and on more than one occasion, the poor boy has cried
himself tired simply because I was in a deep sleep and didn't hear him, those
days were hard,but I never lost faith....
I have been told to get a cochlea
Implant, because aids weren't working with me again, but the price, the
cheapest being around 4 million, scared me off ....but I know, I had no choice
when my first born clocked one and started school, I took myself back to God,
and told Him to make me answer my name "OLUWAKEMI" again and prove
Himself,moneywise...my bill was estimated to around 5 million plus...God did and the surgery was a success to the Glory of
God...
I heard my husband's voice for the first time in Feb 2016, three years
after our marriage and my son, a year after I gave birth to him...but Thank
God, for where I am today, who I have become and still aspiring to become...I
heard the voice of my second born clearly when I had him and today I speak very
clearly on the phone.. ..
Today! I stand tall, with my titles....A beautiful
daughter of God, a woman, a wife, a mother, an estate facility manager and a
blogger...... Sisters in the house, irrespective of whatever situation we find
ourselves, always remember, God cannot give us more burden than we can
carry...after i regained my hearing and i started my blog, and i was
interviewed by Adenike Oyetunde of cool Fm..Listen here...I was shocked to see she is a cancer
survivor and an amputee....yet she soldiers on......it goes to shows giving up
is never an option...I hope my story inspired you...
I have started compiling the list of those people who have approached me regarding this hearing issues, please feel free to send me a mail and let me know how we can help.
Meanwhile, Its noteworthy that I have been sharing my hearing journey in more details before this, read them here part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12
Meanwhile, Its noteworthy that I have been sharing my hearing journey in more details before this, read them here part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12
8 comments
Am speechless woman.God is able forever.Hallelujah ! !! !!!.....70 times.Thanking him advance .Amen.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Dear
DeleteAm speechless woman.God is able forever.Hallelujah ! !! !!!.....70 times.Thanking him advance .Amen.
ReplyDeleteGod is always faithful.. Inspiring testimony.. God bless you sis
ReplyDeleteAmen and you too hunnie
Deleteso so proud of you Kemi. You are amazing and God has not even started with you! xxx
ReplyDeleteAwwwwwww!!!!I just saw this, Thank You soooo much my auntie, my special person...kisses
DeleteThanks for sharing thiss
ReplyDelete