Humanity

Hello World,

So, yesterday my time line on Instagram and Twitter was filled with story of a supposed scam in raising money for a sick lady. 

The lady in question is battling stage 4 Ovarian cancer, and an appeal was made via social media to raise funds to her personal account and Gofund me account. A famous Nigerian actress was quite instrumental in creating the awareness. In total, sums far exceeding the N32million and $100,000 target was made within 4 days of appeal.

Yesterday, the same actress that shared the video appeal of the sick lady, came out to say it was a scam, that though the lady is sick, the medical report she presented was fake. She involved police, and stated that doctors did not give any referral for treatment abroad and the case is beyond treatment....., it's quite a long story but that is the summary.

The story was published by a famous blogger and then some, instigating all sorts of reactions, mainly negative, some have abused, and placed curse on the family, while some are demanding the money be returned among other out pours. 

So what's the essence of this post? Why am i talking about this?

Simple, i have not been able to get my head around this very traumatising situation that is being treated as the next hot topic.

The lady in question is beyond doubt sick, there are videos and photo evidence to show that; she is less than a shadow of herself. I don't have close enough experience or information about cancer, but i know of a couple of people that have battled or are battling cancer at some stage or the other.  And even if i don't know anyone personally, information in print,video, pictures etc abound on the internet about this plague called cancer.

Cancer of any form, or stage is not a pleasant diagnosis. Needless to say it is draining physically, emotionally, and of course financially. I do not know of any medical practitioner that will downplay cancer. Even if the lady could afford the treatment, just seeing herself in the mirror is enough to kill every fighting spirit she might have, the physical pain i believe remains untold, but she is trying and keeping faith irrespective. Just looking at her, without seeing her previous pictures is touching and nerve wracking. I think the least we can do as a people is not to worsen her emotional state with the stories, abuses and curses flying around. Even if the claim that are family is manipulating her situation to make money is indeed true, the lady here is a victim. Yes, she is dying, but she is fighting for survival, let's not kill her will by joining in sharing this scam story.

I must confess, i did not put a dime to her account, not because i did not want to. Truth is the very morning i sat down to follow her story and decided to add my widow's mite, and invite some friends and family to join me, i learnt the target was surpassed, so i immediately notified everyone i had invited to contribute to her cause. Would my view be different if i had contributed money? NO.

After seeing pictures of this gaunt lady, i was going to contribute without demanding medical report or further evidence.

I don't need a medical report to tell me this lady needs as much help as she can get, be it in prayers or with cash.

Most of the people that donated, i guess never saw or took a look at her medical report when they decided to help.

I think anyone that wanted evidence based cause to support, should have done their homework before contributing to the cause. There's no point crying over spilled milk. 

Okay, let me put this out here, I do not support the use of false reports in any form, that is a crime and should not be condoned. I did not follow through on the family's counter story about the "scam" but i have heard they have denied it's a scam and told their side of the story. 

All said, i think the under listed are worthy of note in my opinion:

The narrative might have changed, but the lady remains sick.

She is dying, but she is not dead, so defiling doctor's opinion to seek 2nd and 3rd opinion should not be crucified as much.

It takes courage to beg, or come out to ask for help, sharing what would have been kept private if the funds were available.

Anyone that has ever believed in second chances, miracles, and power of prayers should be able to    relate with this family,that is doing all they can to ensure their daughter, sister, wife and mother          survives this ordeal.

If you have ever held on in a relationship that wasn't working hoping things will change you should understand .

Anyone who has ever watched over a sick loved one, hoping and praying for healing and survival should understand.

Anyone who has ever lost a loved one to one illness or the other, wishing he or she did all that could be done should understand.

I have heard of instance of a mother bringing her dead child to the hospital, hoping against hope.

If we truly cared about her, i think our prayers should be about her recovery. Recent update was that she is set to travel abroad for treatment today.

This is an appeal to us all, in all the drama going on, let's not loose our humanity, let's stop fuelling negative vibes that would discourage helping one another irrespective of our differences. I decided not to mention names or share links to the story, in respect of the sick lady. i'd instead pray for her to scale through this hurdle, who knows she might tell her story one day.

Yes, we can't rule out that some people would be deceitful and all, but let's not lose hope in giving.

Now i came across another appeal for a cancer patient, a gofund me appeal was created on 27th for her, and unlike the earlier case, it's day 3 and she has raised less than 1000pounds of the 30,000pounds target. I hope this 'scam' story doesn't deter us from doing the good in us, Please, let's do whatever bit we can to help this young lady, be it donations, referral, here is the link to her gofundme appeal:  https://www.gofundme.com/2gmfwzh4 

Let's remind ourselves of the good reasons we give. My faith particularly encourages charity, selfless giving, not for accolades, but because it is seen as an investment with the Almighty for greater reward to be earned in this world, and hereafter.

Faith aside, it's good to give, because no one knows what tomorrow holds; if, and when we might be in need, not necessarily of money. Because we all at some point in our lives could do with little acts of kindness.

I pray for everyone going through one form of ailment or the other, may the Ultimate Healer heal you completely and i pray for strength, patience and all resources for the respective families, and for those that currently have clean bill of health, may your story never change.

Thank you.

My Neighbour's Grass - My first attempt at fiction story

Hi,

So i woke up this morning hung over from all of the weekend's activities. Like i mentioned earlier, i have couple of tit bits to share; however i find i am struggling with words this morning.  So, as a way of keeping up with the blog, (yes i have resolved to keep writing no matter what), i have decided to share my first ever fiction story, a story i drafted in all of 10 minutes or less.

This story has been shared with a couple of people before, so, if you happen to have read this story before, bear with me, i am just a proud Mama sharing my brain child with hopefully a larger audience.

So here goes................. MY NEIGHBOUR'S GRASS

My neighbour's grass is green.

Every time i pass by, i would strain my neck to get as much view of the lawn as i could. I would soak it all in, and make a mental picture of just how green and lush i need to make mine.

It's been 5 years and try as much as i have, it seems my grass has decided to fail me. I had gotten my local gardener to give it the magic work, i almost paid through my nose, but it just wouldn't be as lush as my neighbours'. Many a weekends, i would personally take time to pull weeds and prune it, but my grass simply wasn't on the same page as me. It was fine, but it wasn't as lush as my neighbours. In fact, my gardener was beginning to get at my wits end. When he is not demanding more money (like i am paying to fatten a herd of cattle), he blames it on the fact that my children spoil his efforts each time, they ride their bikes or run all over the lawn.

Shoo!! what is essence of a lawn, if my children can't play on it. I screamed so much at him the last time, and it's been weeks since he came by.

I knew my model lawn, but i couldn't bring myself to ask my neighbour what he does to make his that way. Maybe it was pride, or not wanting to accept that i failed at maintaining a lush lawn, or the fact that i just wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.

I suffered in silence, and just enjoy when i watch Junior and his cousins play footballl,and my little girl, Joy riding her bike and playing catch on it.

As faith would have it, i had a chance to enter my neighbour's compound last week. Some electrical fault sparked off fire in the house, the fire alarm went off and we all rushed to their aid. The uniformed security guard let familiar faces in, and the water was put off while 'waiting' for the fire service. I was so happy to be one of the familiar faces (don't blame me).

The lady of the house was visibly shaken, as she held on to the small infant who was wailing because her breastfeeding session was abruptly stopped. In the midst of the chaos, i caught sight of the older children all huddled up close to the nanny, who was too busy paying them no attentions. I offered to help, i took their hands and walked towards the lawn, but as we drew close, they pulled back. Perplexed, i asked what the problem was, and in robot-like fashion, they replied that they were not allowed to go near the lawn. I told them, it's okay, today is not a school day, but they stood still and would not move an inch. Before i could utter another word, the nanny rudely snatched their hands saying their dad will beat them if they get on the lawn.

With a mixture of shock and embarrassment, i apologised and made to bid farewell. My neighbor more relaxed handed over the sleepy infant to the nanny, and came over to thank everyone for their help. She touched me softly, and apologised for the nanny's behaviour. She showed me a patch on the lawn that appeared dug out. She said the children were responsible for that, and went on to say how expensive it was to maintain. In agreement, i tried to make a statement on how expensive it was, but i was caught off guard when i heard the figures involved, It was few thousands short of my monthly salary. I bit my tongue and could only smile and nod my head.

I took one final look at the lawn, i saw it wasn't as lush as i pictured. The green suddenly wasn't as green, and then i saw a patch or two of sand. My neighbour's perfect grass wasn't as perfect.

As i said bye to her, i started to appreciate my not so perfect grass. The sacrifices it took to make their near perfect green grass, i could not afford.

The joys of watching my children play on my imperfect grass would do.

Feeding my grass my monthly earnings wouldn't do.

I have decided to nurture, and love my not quite lush green grass and remind myself that my neighbour's grass is green, just as the 'price' to keep it green is high.

........................................The End


I have another story i started last week, but time and mood hasn't been right. I want to give it more than 10 minutes of my time. So, fingers crossed, i'd be sharing another fiction story on here.

Did i mention that i find writing therapeutic? I think i did, and yes i feel better having put this down. Thanks for reading my story.

Out and About

Hi!

It's been couple of days since my last post, and in all of these days, I have had this blog on my mind.

I am not bored, and the excitement isn't over yet. Far from it, It's my younger cousin's wedding weekend and I am in my hometown- Ilorin, for the duration of the wedding.

It's been fun, busy and energy-zapping I must confess but we love it all the same. You know what? Now isn't exactly the time, but I do hope to some day, introduce you to my Ilorin.

I am feeling real sleepy as I type this, but I just feel whoever visits my 4 day old blog deserve a little something to say I am right here. I am full of titbits I'd love to share actually.

Also here is to say thank you to everyone who has visited Neeolla's corner, shared the link, post comments or give direct feedback to me.

For those that were unable to post comments, I believe that's okay now.

I'd be back soon by His grace.

Life Happens ...(to my old and not so old, but dear friends)

I wrote this a little while ago,but thought it share worthy, in appreciation of good old friends

Dear Friend

Life happens!

Life happened

We may not get to see to see or talk often.

But memories shared are here to stay.

All the plays we had as growing kids

All the naughtiness we got up to, growing up

All the gossiping we did at one time or the other

All the studying we did together (yeah i know those are few)

All the parties we rocked way back when

All the boys gist we shared (or didn’t)

All the quarrels and fights we had

All the escapades we had

All the good and bad working experience

All the walks and rides 

All the dreams we had and shared

All our hopes for the future

The future is here....oh well! some of it

Some dreams have come to pass

Some are long forgotten

Some are work in progress

Some still are dreams

In all our dreams and hopes,

We sometimes forget that life happens

Life happens and people change

Life happens and plans change

Life happens and time and distance keep us apart

Life happens but dear friend, you remain dear

First Day

Hi there,

Right now feels like first day of school for me.

You know that feeling you get on your first day of school, work or in a new environment?

Where you are unsure of what to expect, what to do, what the rules are, how to fit in, what next etc?

Yes, i guess there are no strict, if any rules here. Nothing i should find difficult.

But then, i still ponder on how to start, what to say, would this blog be a success?

Would i have an audience? Would i say the right things? Would i be consistent?

What is my theme?

Would i meet up to the expectations of  the dear friends that encouraged and practically set up this blog for me?

Truth is, i have been scribbling for as long as i remember, but i started to make meaningful scribbles during my university days. Where i would write stuff in my head as i go about my daily activities, and as i lay down on my bed, i'd get pen and paper to write about my feelings, observations, friends, experience etc. I''d listen to a song, and get inspired, i get inspired by the everyday things.

I find unspeakable joy in writing, it's like a totally different person takes over and i get lost in the world of writing. I don't do it for the accolade, no, far from it. I write because it's therapy for me, its fun for me. I have a lot of writings on pen and paper, that i probably never shared with a soul.

Okay, so what has changed since then? Why do i worry now about if it would be received well? Truth is, over time, i have had people give nice feedback, and actually encourage me to take up writing fully. Much as i feel good and appreciate it all, a part of me is scared of the responsibility. It feels there is an expectation from me, that i am afraid i might not meet up to.

But then again, And much as i acknowledge my fear of failure, the words of some of my friends and loved ones ring loudly in my head.

'Just start' "write anything" "you don't want to regret not doing this in couple of years" "we are here to support you" "write about your experiences'' "when are you going to do something about writing" "i am waiting to read something published by you" "just do it" ... it's endless.

So hey! I may not meet up to expectations, this may turn out to be a boring blog ( i hope not), but like the saying - "nothing ventured, nothing gained". I make no promises, all i want is an avenue to write, and have fun while doing so.

So to Angiebama, Gbolly, Rotimi, Kareel, 'My Inlaw', Bonnee, Kalie, Joy, Rele, Ikenna, and of course dear Hubby, to everyone that has ever encouraged me to put pen to paper, to you all ..I say THANK YOU.

 

Yay!!! I did it.  First Blog.