A journey of faith and courage in the face of a storm.
It has been quite a journey, and things seem to have fallen in place for me today, but many years ago, this was not my story!
In 2016, I had a life changing experience which today has given birth to two powerful Visions: Annabel Akagbosu Heart Foundation for Children concerned with helping kids with heart condition get free heart surgery and therapy, and Becoming A Leading Woman Initiative focused on raising and nurturing broken women to find their paths in life through story telling.
On March 12th 2016, I gave birth to Annabel at exactly 1 AM after being induced, as my pregnancy was past term and I didn’t fall into labor. I did exactly as I was told by my doctors, and after going through labor for 11 hours my baby was finally here but she didn’t cry, and that got everybody worried.
Immediately my baby came out, I looked at her; she looked pale and couldn’t move her body, save for her eyes. I saw the medical team trying to make her cry, but when all their effort failed, they had to call in a specialist. I knew something was wrong and this wasn’t normal. I knew well enough, even as a new mother the first thing you hear is the cry of your baby, but that wasn’t so in my case and my heart started racing fast as a result. I was shivering, my head was heavy, I felt very weak and dizzy, I was bleeding profusely as well, but all that didn’t matter. What I wanted the most was just to hear my baby cry, but that still didn’t happen.
I started praying for the doctors to inform me that everything was fine with her and she was okay. I just wanted to hear those words, but alas! Those words never came, so I was moved into a private ward. I didn’t see my baby for hours, because they had moved her to the intensive care where the battle to save her life was on. That was the longest hour of my life! They had no idea what was happening at the time, they started running series of tests to ascertain what was wrong. She was placed on oxygen immediately, because she couldn’t breathe on her own. About 5 hours later, she was brought to me, but I was too weak to do anything but pray and trust God that things were going to turn around.
About 12 midnight, while I was asleep, I woke up to the sound of doctors and nurses close to my baby and immediately they noticed I was awake they tried to move me out of the ward, but I quickly noticed that my baby was not moving – she was lifeless, due a cardiac arrest, and the doctors were trying to resuscitate her.
I wanted to be with my child, so I insisted on being there, and when I noticed the doctor had been trying for more than 30 minutes, I heard him say, “Lord save this child.” I knew immediately that the case was critical; it was way beyond the help of man and I needed a miracle. Lo and behold, she was turning blue right before my eyes and the doctors couldn’t hear the sound of her heart beating. There was a hush in the atmosphere.
I ran out of the ward in search of a quiet place, even in the midst of chaos, I believe you can still find serenity to connect with God. I went in search of that serene place where I could connect with God one-on-one, and I found a quiet ward. I laid on the bare floor with my abdomen, I felt the cold run through my body, but then it didn’t matter. What mattered to me was being at the feet of my maker. God’s word tells me in the Holy Book that I can come into the throne room of grace to obtain mercy in my time of need, and that was what I was doing. I cried out to Him saying, “Your word says I will not cast my young.” I affirmed it that I will not cast my young. I said to God, “You didn’t make me barren, you made me fruitful and that every good and perfect gift is from you. My daughter is a perfect gift from you, she is the wealth that you have given to my husband and I, she didn’t come with sorrow.”
As I declared this, I began to speak in other tongues. Immediately, I felt a touch on my shoulder, and I heard my husband’s voice “come with me” he said, “she is okay now.” I screamed Hallelujah!!! I rejoiced and thanked God. Within 30 minutes they gave us a transfer letter to a general hospital, as they didn’t have the resources to manage her nor could they diagnose what was happening to her. She needed to be accompanied with oxygen, but they refused to provide her with one stating that the doctor who referred her did not state that in writing. When I heard that, I said, “Lord I need you, I need you to protect her until we get to our destination.”
In life, we face a lot of temptations and sometimes the enemy will come in different forms. He would speak through different people to pull your faith down, but it is up to you to keep your faith alive and stay connected to your Maker, because that is where you can get strength and hope. As we were about to enter the car I heard in my spirit, “your daughter is going to die, she won’t make it! She is not placed on oxygen, how would she breathe?” Immediately, I shook off the thoughts and affirmed according to the word of God that my daughter would not die but live to proclaim the words of the lord in the land of the living,
The journey had only just begun…
About Lola
Lola is the Founder and CEO of Annabel Akagbosu Heart Foundation For Children, and Becoming A Leading Woman Initiative. She aims to help kids with heart conditions get free heart surgery and therapy, and also support broken women in finding their paths in life through storytelling.
Her first child, Annabel, was born with a heart condition that almost claimed her life. During that period, Lola experienced mockery, betrayal, fraudsters, and burnout.
After almost five years of battling to save her daughter, she got a miracle. Few months later, she’s alive, courageous, and resilient, walking the path of purpose and pursuing her dreams with renewed vigour!
Connect with Lola on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
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