The arrival of the long-awaited baby to the family of Professor and Mrs S.A Otubusin, after four decades of delay, was more than a miracle, as the conception was incredible and unfathomable to the 66-year-old woman, when the doctor declared her pregnancy status to her.
Brimming with tears of joy, Ajibola recounted her traumatic experience of forty years of frustrations, mockery and misery, but it all ended in praise. The scriptural passage which states “when God turned the captivity of Zion, they were like them that dreameth”, aptly described the expression of the elderly couple.
Ajibola Otubusin, who got wedded to her heartthrob at the ripened age of 25, never envisaged she was going to wait for so long before having her first child, because as a practicing nurse then, she had no medical history of any disease, until after her marriage.
“What I didn’t know was that I would have to wait for 40 years. I expected to bear children and be fulfilled, but then, I started noticing I was unusually becoming sick, I was having some health issues. I initially thought they were small problems but when I went to a hospital at Kainji, I was referred to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist at the University College Hospital, who told me I was still young and that I was getting sick because I was worried too much about having a baby”, Ajibola narrated with tears laden eyes.
The Christian couple, who met on campus had pledged their unalloyed commitment to each other after their wedding, thus, separation was not an option during their trying years, though there was pressure from all angles, but they held on to God and to their marital vow.
After their marriage, the couple had moved to Kainji, Niger State, where they worked, although briefly after Ajibola noticed some problems in her health.
“But I knew there were problems with me. I knew I had a problem with my thyroid. But the doctor insisted I would get over it. I went back to the hospital and this time round, I was referred to the Eko Hospital in Lagos, and there, they noticed I was suffering from hepatomegaly (an enlargement of the liver). They identified five other health problems and from there, I started battling with various diseases”, she explained.
This was the genesis of her journey in search of solutions to her multiple health issues, and luckily, she found a good Samaritan of a surgeon at UCH, who was passionate about her case. Poised to help Ajibola, the surgeon arranged a trip to India for her to meet specialists for quick solution.
Her words: At the hospital where I was referred to, they noticed it was a cystic lesion (a medical condition that causes the development of multiple small, benign cysts on an organ in the body) and that I wasn’t responding to drugs. The cystic lesion overtook my liver.
“I was also tested for having sessile polyps in my colons (a colon polyp is a small clump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon and can develop into colon cancer).
“However, the doctor at the Indian hospital said he would try an artificial insemination since I didn’t have a serious infertility problem. (Artificial insemination is a deliberate introduction of sperm into a female’s cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vitro fertilisation).”
A determined Ajibola was never discouraged, in spite of the failure of the artificial insemination, as she kept on pressing forward to get to the root of her problem. On getting back to Nigeria, after the series of treatments in India, she said she was bent on carrying her own baby with her hands, knowing full well that other complex health challenges have been treated, left with infertility.
Hear her out: “Thankfully, I got better after a series of treatment in India and eventually I returned home. Knowing it was only the infertility issue I had to deal with; I intensified efforts again with the support of my loving husband.
“I had been visiting St Ives Specialist Hospital, Lagos for 10 years before I travelled to India but I stopped going due to my poor health. But when my health improved, I went back again early this year with my husband, and I met Dr. Tunde Okewale, who understood our plight and encouraged us not to be shaken by previous experiences. We tried the IVF procedure and here we are today, with our first child!”
Praise the Lord somebody!!!
The extremely elated new mom futher revealed: “It was on February 22, 2018, I discovered it, but I still had some health issues. I was still seeing blood, so I didn’t believe it. I went for a scan and the doctor asked whether I was doing any stressful work. He asked me, ‘Do you want to lose this pregnancy?’ I asked, ‘Which pregnancy?’
“He then showed me the monitor and I noticed some activities in my womb. I said, ‘Wow, this might be my time!’ I breathed a sigh of relief on that day. My joy became fully made.
The story of Madam Otubusin is a great encouragement to all those couples waiting for their bundles of joy, it’s never too late for God, just keep trusting and pushing, the next thing you will hear is congratulations!
