A cloud of joy has enveloped the home of an Ogun State woman married to a man from Rivers State, Mrs. Stella Obisike, who recovered her ability for childbearing eight years after she stopped ovulating.
For Obisike, the cessation of ovulation in 2003 after she had the first child, a boy, was like a horrific occurrence, given the African setting and the great importance attached to childbearing.
But the story of the couple changed on December 14, 2014, with the birth of Master Juan Chimbroma Divine-Power Obisike, who is now five months old and being doted on by his 11-year-old elder brother and the parents. As the parents indicated during the thanksgiving service held to mark the child’s birth, the beautiful outcome demonstrated the unlimited power of God to turnaround hopeless situations.
Interestingly, Stella’s husband, Ogunka Obisike hails from Ibaa in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, while his wife is from Ogun State. Incidentally, both of them are age-mates, being 41 years old each. Stella had her first child, Joshua, a JSS 2 student, on October 31, 2003.
The couple, in separate interviews, testified that their experiences throughout the 11 years were not pleasant. The situation they faced caused them psychological trauma and humiliation. They spent a lot of money in the quest for medical solution to the problem. All through the eight-year-period, they held firmly onto God. At a point, doctors even told her that she could not conceive again. One medical report indicated that she had fibroid. The woman followed every medical prescription religiously, and even had surgery. After eight years as medical therapy progressed, she conceived through drug-induced ovulation, but suffered a miscarriage after two months. The experience repeated as she had miscarriages two times in a year.
According to the couple, their sacrificial giving to God was the saving grace. Rather than the trauma the went through taking them away from the presence of God, a situation commonly witnessed in some families faced with a similar condition, both of them developed strong faith in God.
Telling her story, Mrs. Obisike said: “It was not an easy experience. After I had Joshua on October 31, 2003, it was very difficult to have another one for eight years. Very difficult, indeed! In the sense that to conceive and have another child was not easy. Before that pregnancy, doctors said that I could not have a child without using drugs because, then, I was not ovulating. So, I was placed on a drug. It wasn’t easy. After using it for two years, I conceived but later had a miscarriage. And after that, I went to the hospital and doctors said it was fibroid. I had surgery for the fibroid to be removed. It was successful. Three months after the operation, I conceived again, but there was miscarriage. I didn’t conceive again. I had miscarriage two times within a year.
“After the last miscarriage, I said that the problem could not be handled alone by me. I decided to present it before God. I started praying and fasting. What I did that helped me extensively was my sacrificial giving to God. Instead of using money to buy drugs, I decided to give it to God. So, last year, I realized that I was pregnant. I did not believe it initially. In fact, I was afraid that it would go off just like the others. But, God really helped me, although, it wasn’t easy. All through the pregnancy, it was tough.
“By the third month, I started spotting. The doctors said they would have to stitch the cervix so that the foetus would stay and grow to term. I went for that operation and God made it successful. After seven months, the doctors had removed the stitches. I stayed and began expecting the child, yet it did not come. I was to have the baby a week after it was removed, but I had to stay for more than three weeks.
“But at the end of the day, God helped me and the baby came forth. The baby was born after the normal time because after the ninth month, doctors said I had to undergo operation. I rejected it. I told them that God, who gave me the child, would see me through. And He answered me. It was not easy. But, I thank God that he saw me through. Sometimes, I would sit down, thinking, crying, asking God why me? People would mock me, calling me names, saying that I had only one child. It was too humiliating. Some would ask about your son; some would ask you about your children. I know things I passed through. During that period, I know many women I bathed their babies; I visited when they gave birth. If I returned, I would be pondering, asking when would my turn come?”
Stella particularly recalled an incident that happened one day her first son came back from school, when he was in primary five. The boy said his teacher gave the class a composition to write about their brothers and sisters. The boy told her that he wrote about one of his cousins. Stella was deeply touched as it reminded her of her painful situation. Rather than pity herself, she assured her son that God would give him either a brother or sister.
Commenting on the tone of her relationship with the husband during the period, she thanked God for giving her an understanding man. She said her husband never disturbed or made her feel that she had only a child.
Her words: “It’s not all men that can take it because he is the first son. He never disturbed me. He was able to take and manage the situation. He is a nice and kind man, but could get angry at times. My husband did not show that he was worried. He would rather pray that if it was only a child God destined us to have, He should protect him. But I disagreed. To me a child was not enough and God really did it at last.”
Also, she said that due to long years of non conception, she became attached to Joshua, the first son. But, her husband advised her against the consequences of that because it could become too difficult for her to detach from the boy.
“Even, when he wanted to go to boarding school, I refused. But, my husband said we should allow him to go. I summoned courage and succumbed,” Stella recalled.
So, how did the in-laws take the situation, Sunday Sun prodded? Stella said they showed concern and suggested places they should visit, but her husband absolutely ruled out going to such the places. Rather, he demonstrated strong belief that God would surely visit them.
“My husband really stood by me, insisting that I should not go anywhere, until God answered, which He truly did at the end. That is why I advise that other women, who find themselves in situations similar to what I passed through should hold unto God. It is not that they should not go to hospital to find out what the problem is, so that when they are praying, they know how to channel their prayers. But, they should hold on to God firmly. At that point, it has gone beyond man’s effort. It is only God that can change the report of doctors.
“I still say that before I had this baby, I stopped using the drugs for two years. I decided I was tired of using them. When I least expected, that was when God did it. He is the only one that answers prayer and is more than able to change situations. But, most importantly, no matter your hardship, your sacrificial giving, God would not abandon you.”
Corroborating the story of his wife, Mr. Obisike said: “It wasn’t an easy experience for us because you can’t imagine what it was like for us, having just a child for 11 years. Not just a child, we were expecting another. It was not something money could buy. For one’s wife to take in was a problem. Eight years after, like my wife said, she took in. But, before then, she was on drugs. There was the issue of counting dates to know when to meet your wife – that is the best time ovulation would occur – it was very stressful. Even, as a man sometimes, it was challenging; you wouldn’t be able to meet her that period. After two months, she lost the pregnancy.
“I then asked the doctor what was the problem. He said it was fibroid, that the position of the fibroid was so bad that she could not take-in. The doctor said the only solution was operation, and we went for the operation. After three months, she conceived again and we were both happy, but just within two to three months, she lost it again. We asked doctor again what the problem was. He said it was tall growth. At that point, I made up my mind to leave it to God. If God says it’s only one, well, let Him keep that one for us. If that one grows up to be a reasonable child we would not have problem. God knows the best. So, we left it at that. We stopped taking drugs and going to the doctors.
“I could recall there was a time she got tired and got angry that I was not caring how she could get pregnant. I asked her, what else do you want, are we to go back to the doctors? I remember something, immediately she went back to doctor, the doctor gave her a test she was supposed to run. She came back and was reluctant to do it. We kept postponing it before she took in. Immediately she discovered that she had conceived, she rushed back to the doctor. The doctor was surprised because she had not done the test.”
Recalling how the labour set in, Ogunka said: “That day was Sunday and we had just returned from church. I observed that she was not comfortable, moving from one place to another. My cousin who was around advised her to go to hospital. At the hospital, it was another issue. But at last, we heard the scream of the baby. We thank God for all that. We are really grateful to God that 11 years after the first boy, we had another boy.
“Only the finger of God could have done this for us. That is why we want people to read our story and be encouraged to hold on to God.”
The couple was also fortunate in another way, because Ogunka remained resolute in supporting his wife through thick and thin. On this, he said: “I didn’t really have any pressure from family. The family was not really disturbed as to distract me. I am the type of person who sticks to a decision. They never came to me; may be they spoke to her. I must confess that one person once said something to my hearing. The person said: ‘This kind of thing, na wao!’ I replied that God would do it. But, sometimes, I used to feel bad because my son needed someone. That was how I got through that period. As a growing young man, sometimes, I would ask God, why such a thing happened to me. Then I realized that having a child or children was not by man’s making or effort.
Commenting on his relationship with his wife, Obisike stated that he never had quarrels with his wife over their condition. Rather he empathized with her pain.
“I always felt for her. You know, as a woman, they are the weaker type. As a man, you can easily cover-up. I met her twice or so, crying. I had to console and beg her that we had one child already. What about those who don’t have? Sometimes, after encouraging her, she would calm down
“To be honest with you, I never had doubt. Never! Though as a human being, you would be scared, but I never had doubt that God would do it. Our faith was very strong to the extent that we were doing some things in the church just to have the baby. My wife was taking care of children in the church. Myself, whatever I had, I would put it in the church. We were doing it hoping that one day God would answer us and He did.
“Sometimes, one of our customers where we used to buy things for Joshua, would tease us, that we should get another child not only my first child should be enjoying everything. We tried to make him feel comfortable. Really, we felt sympathetic that he was supposed to have younger ones.”
According to him, when Joshua heard that his mother had given birth, though he was at home, the young boy was dumbfounded. “He couldn’t scream; to him, it was like, daddy, is it true? I told him it was real. After a while, he started shouting in happiness. If you call him on phone now, the first person he would ask about is his younger brother. The picture there will tell you about them.”
Ogunka is so besotted with his wife, wondering how life would have been with him without her: “She is a wonderful woman. I was talking to someone recently, and I said I don’t know how my life would have been without her. Without marrying her, I don’t know how marriage would have been because she is natural. She is not doing it to please me. She is a very wonderful woman.”
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