I haven't blogged and or approved comments since Thursday, which is unlike me, right? Well, I had to take out time to mourn my beloved Sister-in-law who went to be with the Lord on Wednesday 25th February, 2015, around 2:15 pm in a private hospital in Abeokuta, Eruwa after a fierce battle with kidney related ailment.
Grace graduated from Olabisi Onabanjo University in 2013, Biochemistry, at the age of 23 (if you count 2015), and was doing her youth service in Agbagada, Ondo State when the battle began.
One of many things I can say about the death of my sister-in-law was that she knew how it will all end. She knew it will end like this and she prepared for it. She told one of her brother, who she loved most, that he should prepare his mind for the worst. In her words, she said, "Zero your mind, brother" and that was the same statement her brother said to her days before they lost their father. She said that sentences at least thrice that I know of.
The second time, though we all thought it was nothing, was when two of her friends visited her. She asked them a very sensitive question, "If you heard that I die today, what will you do?" I watched as one of her friends, Tunde Ogunsanya, said, "I will use your pictures as my d.p for at least a day."
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| Pic taken on January 2nd, 2015 |
I'm not going to go into details. She gave one of her most treasured gift to her brother. She said, "I want this to be with you when I'm gone." But her brother rejected it with prayers and declaration that she will not die.
The battle began when Grace left camp, where she was doing her youth service, and went straight to their family clinic in Lagos where she was admitted for about 7 days or thereabout. We all thought it was malaria and after the treatment she got well and returned to camp.
Few months later she came home with similar symptoms and the doctor ran some tests on her again only that this time her blood level was very low. She took two pants of blood and was okay. She was discharged again and she returned to camp.
She was alright until around September and October when she came with severe pains. Her family doctor battled the ailment this time around and when it began to challenge his profession he was forced to refer her to LUTH. That was where and when we discovered it was kidney failure. By this time, her face was already swollen.
She was in LUTH for a month plus and was discharged (though unfit) and by this time, she had taken an average of 15 pints of blood within 3 months.
That was how the battle became fierce until she stopped fighting in December when she returned from Mountain of Fire (Prayer City) where she went for prayers with her fiance. Her illness took another turn and she said to her mother, "It's like God doesn't want to answer my prayers."
That was when she took to Facebook to post saying...
Prayers were raised around the world. Prayer warriors were summoned and they prayed round the clock for her recovery, but it was like God want her home by all means. In fact, it was like God want her home long before now and she was just living on 'borrowed time'.
On December 31st, 2014, few hours towards the 'Cross-over' we almost lost her. In fact, she was already gone if not that she had a mother was was a prayer warrior herself. There was a day she called one of her brothers that God is planning to take her that night and it was so real that her brother had to travel down home in the middle of the night.
All these while, it was like she was waiting for a particular moment and we didn't realize it until the moment came and gone. She was waiting for her Big brother's wedding that was slated for February 7, 2015. She was there and even in her pain, she made sure she witnessed every bit of the wedding. She was there throughout the traditional wedding on Friday. She even ask to take pictures with them even after the trad was over and it was too dark to take pictures. Early the following day she asked her mother to bath her and was ready to go to the Registry with them. All these while, she was in serious pain. She sat through the Registry and followed them to the church. The church service was a very long one, but my sister-in-law sat through it. Then she was at the Reception and when I saw her I saw the look of satisfaction on her face.
Two days after she got home from the wedding, she told her mother saying, "I've witness the wedding I've been waiting for. Now I can go home to be with the Lord,"
*sobbing*
Forgive me, but I don't think I can continue. I'll have to jump to the last moment from here.
Grace was a brave woman of God. She fought till the last moment, even when she knew God will not let her stay. Oh, how my mother-in-law fought alongside with her. It was a fierce battle where she stood by her 24/7. Even in the middle of the night, my mother-in-law was on her knees praying for her.
According to her fiance, "She slept in my arms overnight weeks ago. Throughout the night, she couldn't sleep for more than an hour. That became a norm for her. For months!"
On the 25th February, 2015, as early as 4 a.m, she was taken to the renowned private hospital in Abeokuta, Eruwa. She was admitted immediately. Her blood samples had been taken and were already running some tests on her when the final moment came. She was been wheeled to the theater and the nurses noticed that blood was dripping from her arms where they took her blood samples. The nurses were busy attending to the wound when my sister-in-law looked up at her mother one last time, closed her eyes and went to be with the Lord.
This thing called LIFE. How fragile it is. One minute we are here making all these plans...the next minute, it's all over. And we can never get it back.
When I think about her... my heart ache with tears. Even though death snatched her so young... Grace lived her life to the fullest. She did every single thing she wanted to do. If she had lived another 20 years she only would have done the things she had done before over and over again.
She grabbed life by the horns and was never afraid to take risks. She never forgot how to laugh. She was never too proud to cry like a baby. She wasn't too stubborn to smile.
Grace lived life in the moment. And he lived it to the fullest.
Shame to death 70 times 7!
Sometimes we fail to realise what little time we have on earth. And we go through life with no purpose or meaning. We blame everyone else but ourselves for our sadness and misfortune instead of realising that life is an accumulation of our very own choices. Both the good and the bad things are as a result of repeated choices over a period of time. But whether good or bad, the beautiful thing about life is that it's never too late to turn it around. Every single minute we are alive is an opportunity to start all over. Decide NOW to make every second of your life count because when you really think about it, the only thing that is assured in life is this moment and death. So cherish every moment of life and make it worthwhile.
It's up to you. In sadness, in sickness, in hunger, in all that is bad and evil, you can always enjoy the moment by not letting life defeat you and making the very best of every situation .
Time is something we human beings don't have!!!
Do what you want to do now...because when you really think about it, there's no guarantee you'll live to see the next minute.
Grace, rest in peace! Thank you for teaching me how to appreciate life. You'll always be remembered.
In case you're still wondering why you are in your situation? Like, why am I poor? Why is he rich? Why did he die so young? Why am I not able to have kids? Why can't I find happiness? Why am I not able to pass JAMB? Why do I always fail? Why doesn't he want me? She helped build the church, why was she assassinated there? Is God watching? Why is he allowing these things to happen? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is the sky blue? Why did the chicken cross the road? Oh that I can answer. The chicken crossed the road to get to the other side. But why did it want to get to the other side? What was there? Another chicken perhaps? Food maybe?
If anyone knows this answer please tell the rest of us mere mortals... because we can't figure it out and we'd really like to know.
Isn't life such a mystery? Are we ever going to figure it out?
Take a day off and the do that thing you've always wanted to do. Live free, fly like a bird, take every single happiness you can get. Make the most of what you have and don't worry so much...living a life of worry guarantees a sad life. If you're going to die one day and never come back, why live life SAD? Don't let life cheat you...embrace everything good about it.
NB: I don't know if I made any sense...there's so much I want to write but I can't seem to put them into words...my head is full, my heart is aching and I don't feel like sleeping tonight.
Let me leave you with the words her fiance, Adegoke Olalekan Adebumiti, wrote on his Facebook page.
"We were going to have a befitting wedding. I was going to "know her" on our wedding night.
We were going to have our children named Ayo ife (The joy of love), Adun ife (The sweetness of love), and Ewa ife (The beauty of love) The mother would be called Ayomi (My joy) and the the father, Ifemi (My love)."
In another one he wrote,
"She once said', "Lekan, there are 13 qualities I want in a man".
By her calculation I didn't have more than six.
That didnt stop her from saying yes, even when our Fellowship's President told her I was the unserious Lekan!
Now the only quality I don't have, to her, is a desirable height - she wanted someone taller.
The better part of me you've seen is part of her works.
Oh how I love you."
And in another one he wrote,
"I wish I granted her last request.
She wanted me to rub her swollen legs but I turned her down. Turned her down Cuz I was told she demanded too much."
Then the one that got me crying for hours...
13 comments:
It's a shock n disbelieve. May her soul rest in peace
May God grant her eternal rest in Jesus name
This is my first time to comment on your blog n i wnt to say Thank you so much. You did a thorough job with this your eulogy. Now, I know how she went to be with the Lord.
Why so early inspite of the effort and money spent to keep her alive. God understands everythign sha
I pray God will give you all the fortitude to bear the irreparable lost iJN.
RIP Grace, RIP
We take solace in the fact that she had gone to be with her Lord. Rest in peace dear friend
*crying*
What an irreplaceable loss
Heya, such is life. Her family must have really suffered alot.
Well done Tessy for sharing this!!!
So Grace is gone just like that! Na wa ooo. I fear this thing call deathh oooo
Good night my ex-drama cord.
God knows best. He remains an unquestionable God of all!!!
Oyindamola will forever remain in my heart. so painful she had to be with the Lord at this time and the only regret i ve is that i never visited her before her demise. sleep well Honeymix, u used to call me dearie.....
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