WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

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Hello to everyone in this great community and on this wonderful platform at large. I greet you all in good spirit, and I hope we're all doing well today.

It’s been a while since I last posted here, and I must say—I truly missed everyone and missed blogging too. I'm glad to be back, and I hope everything here is going smoothly.

A lot has happened lately, and only I truly know what I’ve been through. To make sense of it all and to share my experience, I decided to write this article. I hope you find it inspiring and helpful.

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Going through the ups and downs of life, not knowing what the next step might bring, I continued to trust and believe that everything would eventually be okay. With that belief, I held on to my faith, trusting that better days would come.

One fateful morning, I woke up full of energy and joy, with a big smile on my face. My heart was filled with happiness—it was the beginning of my final year examinations in school. I greeted everyone I saw with enthusiasm, because that day felt like a turning point in my academic journey.

I was fully prepared that morning, confident and ready to tackle the exam. I had studied thoroughly, reviewed all lecture notes, and practiced every past question I could find.

On my way to the exam hall, I met a few friends struggling with the course material. I decided to stop and help them. By teaching them, I also deepened my own understanding and became even more confident. They were grateful, and together, we headed to the hall.

We had been instructed not to bring mobile phones into the exam hall. However, I needed mine to call my friends so we could walk in together—we always did our work, including practicals, in a group.

After making the call, I was about to drop off my phone at a friend's place when I received a call from my aunt. Expecting her to wish me well on my exams, I picked up joyfully.

But what followed shook me to my core. The news was tragic—my oldest sister had been involved in a fatal accident. I stood still, tears unknowingly streaming down my cheeks. My hands went numb, and the phone slipped from my grasp.

I quickly composed myself, wiped the tears, and gave my phone to a friend. I rushed to the exam hall, still in shock.

Have you ever been in a state where you know what to say or write, but suddenly you just can’t?

That was me. I sat down, looked at the question paper, and my mind went blank. Everything I had read disappeared. It felt like I had lost my memory.

I kept reading the questions over and over, trying to understand, but I couldn’t. My mind wasn’t in that hall—it was back with my sister.

I started crying. That was the moment I truly understood the weight of the news I had received. When my dad passed away, I didn’t cry—because society says men don’t cry. We’re supposed to hold it all in and use the pain as strength.

But have you ever experienced something so heavy that even your strength fails you? Have you ever felt good and bad emotions at once, yet all you can do is cry?

Tears kept falling. My answer booklet became soaked. One of the supervisors noticed and came to me: “Are you okay? What happened?” But I couldn’t speak. The tears flowed even more. I was taken outside.

At the Head of Department’s office, I was finally able to speak. I told them the news: My sister was in a coma after a terrible accident. They didn’t say much. They simply arranged for someone to accompany me home, as I was not in the right frame of mind to write that exam.

My sister remained in a coma for one month and two days. The hospital demanded ₦1.2 million (around $800–$1,000 at the time), which was about 5,350 STEEM. I am the last child of the family—a student, not a worker. My father had passed away, my mother was a hospital cleaner, and my older brother was still struggling to find his footing.

How were we supposed to raise such money?

We couldn’t just watch her die. Around the same time, my phone was stolen. I was devastated, and my academics began to suffer.

I started reaching out to everyone I knew for help. I sold everything I had, including items from my shop. Still, it wasn’t enough.

I begged friends, colleagues, and strangers. I didn’t want to lose another loved one. Some people from this platform heard about the situation and kindly assisted in the best ways they could.

Even so, the funds were not enough. And I kept asking myself...

Where do we go from here?

To be continued… stay tuned!