Stories, learnings and reflection #09/(A STORY OF SETBACKS, RESILIENCE, LOVE & DETERMINATION)

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Greetings distinguished and intensional Steemians, Sincere commendations to @alexanderpeace for bringing us here again under the stories and reflections contest. This week I will be telling us a story that started with great tragedy and ended with total appreciations. It is a story of a Lady named Martha Uforo, whose entire life is indeed a testament and epitome of resilience, perseverance, love, commitment and total determination amidst numerous life challenges and set backs.

Martha was born into a family of Three in southern Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State to be precised. Martha happened to be the very first child of the family having five junior siblings looking directly on her as their eldest sister. Martha's parents were peasant farmers who made earnings out of struggles and sweat. Despite how poor they were, Martha and her siblings never lacked at least a two square meal a day. With this, I could say that life was pleasant, simple and filled with pure love as the family managed the little they had.

However, at the age of Ten, everything changed and life began bouncing on Martha and her junior siblings. One evening, between the hours of 8 and 9, has the family (Mother, Father and Martha) were returning from the Market where they do go to sell their farm produce, they got involved in an horrible accident as their bus collided with a stationary truck parked by the road side. Dramatically, both parents died at the spot while Martha was severely injured.

Everyone ran away from the scene knowing too well how our Nigerian security personnel operates but luckily for her, a stranger discovered that she she had little life in her and decided to take her to the nearest hospital for treatments. Martha woke up in the hospital confused and in great pains. In the midst of this pains, news came to her that her parents were dead. She was still confused and believing that it was a dream only to hear words that changed her entire life forever "Martha, we had to amputate your both hands so as to save you."

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At this very moment, Martha discovered that she was not only an orphan, but an amputated orphan who was to take care of her junior siblings waiting at home to them to return from the market. Simple things like eating, washing, hugging and throwing where things that actually made her convinced of how miserable life would be to her.

Without having any parents or hands, Martha was left at the mercy of her aunty while her siblings were taken for house helps. Martha would have joined same if only she had hands to work. Due to his condition, Martha was rejected by even his closest relatives since they saw her to be a mere consumer who had nothing to offer than to tell unnecessary stories. This made Martha lost comfort and solace.

Martha grew up not having friends but mockers who would always question if anyone would marry or employed her in any establishment. The mockery was even deeper than the pains of not having both hands. Going by this, depression set in and she often cried day and night seeking solace from where she never knew. Countless times she thought of suicide but in the process lacks the hands to initiate the process. The worst was when she even tried jumping into the river only to be saved by a stranger who was kind-hearted.

This incident of meeting a stranger was when Martha was 16 years of age. Luckily for her, this stranger was someone who had connections with someone who managed an orphanage home sponsored by an NGO outside the country. Light began to shine on Martha as she coincidentally beared the same name with the Orphanage home mistress she was been taken to. Madam Martha loved little Martha with passion after hearing the stories that surrounded her.

She encouraged her never to see herself as being useless or as a victim. Rather she should see herself as being a victor with great potentials to do more. She later introduced little Martha to a teacher, Miss Uduak whose specialty was in teaching children with disabilities. Surprisingly to Martha, she realized that one could use their feets to write. At first it was difficult for her to cope but after months of constant tutoring under Miss Uduak, Martha began to master the skills of using her feets to write perfectly. At this point, She could use her feet to draw, write and eat just like a near normal person.

After 6 years of learning from Miss Uduak, the sponsors of her orphanage home came visiting from abroad and discovered the quality things Martha could do with her hands. They had compassion and took her to their hometown in Canada where she attended a school design for the disabled individuals. Martha knowing very well that she had two junior siblings to look upon, studied beyond every other person and graduated as the valedictorian.

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See how time flies, the little Martha is now lady Martha. At the Age of 24, Martha was officially done with Academics as the best in her university level under the Department of Computer Science. His disability never had any hindrances on Martha's interest in ensuring that her junior siblings saw light some day.

On one interview, Lady Martha told the world that her choice of computer science was to enable her develop a software were people living with disabilities could interact freely with computers.

Today, Lady Martha is a successful software engineer who has developed series of softwares for top companies in and out of the state. He has been able to sponsor her two siblings in school, created several TED talks on disability, as well as owing a scholarship foundation for disabled children and orphans. It is worthy to mention that all these achievements are from someone who was considered a useless amputated orphan.

Martha's success story emphasizes the need for resilience, perseverance and commitment amidst setbacks. It teaches me that setbacks and tragedies do not define a person. Rather perseverance and commitment does.

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I also learned that love even when given by a total stranger could be big enough to save a soul. In the case of Martha, to save a world. Finally I have also learned that success in life is not a function of what we have but how well we make use of what remains for us.

Though life really hitted her, with the help of a stranger, she uses her legs (the remain) to ensure that she, her siblings and the needy around her never remained in the dust she left.

I draw the curtains as I invite @basil20, @ruthjoe and @nsijoro to share in their moments.