I really want to thank @jerrybanfield for setting up this type of contest where we get to share our stories.
Telling someone about an experience or talking brings healing and peace to mind. It helps people to get closures from things they might have or are suffering from.
I have quite a number of incidences to share but let me first share my experience as a teenager.
I gained admission into the university to study geography at the time. I grew up in a christian family and everyone in my family was involved in church activities. I was really doing well singing in church going for programmes, rehearsals and all that.
Knowing that soon I would be leaving the house, I started training my younger sister and some other persons to take over from me as I had received my admission letter to attend Delta State Univeraity, Abraka.
The time was also close to the end of the year that in my church we usually celebrate our Annual Thanksgiving Service.
I would travel from the school back home every weekend because I was to sing in Church on Sunday morning and after service head back to school from Asaba. It was at the time a 3- 4 hours journey because there were several bus stops.
This happened for about 2 months until some how I fell to sickness and could not travel for about 2 weeks. Attending lectures was not possible either. Our thanksgiving servive was a week to go. I had gone to the health centres for checkup and some drugs were prescribed to me which i was taking. I was so weak that I could only travel early morning that Sunday to meet my family in church.
Miraculously I had the strength to sing and as was expected the service dragged for hours. Still feeling energetic and strong I got home and was expecting to be back in school Monday morning but that night I decided to sit ouside with my younger brothers dogs (Scot and Jack) playing with them as I had missed them since I left.
Suddenly I felt a pain in my stomach and a feeling to use the restroom also my eyes could not focus anymore. I hurriedly rushed to enter the house through the door but instead I ran into the wall by the door and I passed out. I was alone outside with the dogs and according to my younger brother, knowing when the dogs are calling for attention heard them barking and crying so loud non stop.
He came outside, that was about some minutes past 8pm, saw that jack was all over me licking my body trying to wake me up and stuffs like that. Seeing I was unconscious, my brother screemed and called my mum who creemed the loudest that attracted the entire neighbourhood. The dogs were so sensitive that day as they did not chase anyone out of our compound as they would usually do. People came in and they tried to revive me until I opened my eyes some minutes later.
While all these was happening i would say I almost had a taste of heaven because I suddenly was hearing a loud choir singing in the most powerful voice I have ever heard up till now. I was wishing in my heart God, i want to sing with this choir and the light was getting brighter and brighter, the music becoming clearer and clearer and clearer. The excitement in my heart was just increasing and some how I opened my eyes.
I was so disappointed when I gained conciousness as my body was so weak and looking around, too many people steering at me, my cloths were almost off my body. I heard my mother's voice shouting Gloria...! I wanted to be where the music was. Now my body felt like a carton and a limitation because I was just gliding towards the music.
I was then rushed to the nearby private hospital and the doctor was telling my dad that i could be pregnent which my dad was saying he trusted his daughter not to be pregnent. I was placed on drip and oxygen for some few minutes because I could now breath well.
By morning, people from church, our neigbourhood, my Dad's office, my mum's office and friends of the family were all trooping in to visit me at the hospita. I felt so loved and blessed for the love that was showed to me.
The tests results showed it was typhoid and I was placed under strict care, but I knew I had to go back to school as exams were already approaching by the next week. There are more than a hundred thousand cases of typhoid alone in Nigeria every year.
I started praying for a miracle that in 3 days I would leave the hospital instead of 2 weeks as the doctor had said. Everytime I took my drugs or an injection, I would pray they carry out a quick work in me. Three times faster than the odinary. I declared that my days at the hospital were numbered. I told God i came home to take care of his business and I need Him to take care of mine (my exams).
Miraculously in 5 days I was discharged from the hospital. The next morning I was already on my way to school to start preparing for my exams. I was in school and my mum was still receiving visitors and well wishers on my behalf. How awesome!
I never knew my singing and sacrifices coming home every weekend was making such impact on people until I was on that bed for those 5 days that seemed like a momth. Their words were so refreshing and it impacted me so much to keep giving myself to the servive of God.
Today I still sing and I am thankful for my family, friends, well wishers and our dogs that were so caring to raise the alarm as regards my condition at the time. Jack was sick and died 3 years after ( a story for another day) and scot lived for 8 years before she died.
Thank you for reading.
