THROUGH MY EYES: THEN AND NOW!

Through My Eyes: Then and Now! takes you on an inspiring journey of loss, loneliness, laughter and love! As the author shares true stories from her personal battle with sickle cell disease, her honesty, quick wit and conversational style will get your attention from touching start to triumphant finish. Furthermore, no matter who you are and/or what challenge you face, the author's surprising survival strategy is sure to inspire you!


REVIEWERS' PRAISE FOR THE BOOK ...
… an awesome book about pain, and the triumph of faith … the author is at once teacher, preacher, pain-bearer and friend… AN INCREDIBLE READ. A REAL PAGE-TURNER. EUGENIA ABU – award-winning essayist, broadcaster and author of ‘In the Blink of an Eye.’

… [this book] has positively influenced my care for patients with Sickle Cell Disease. A MUST READ. DR. OCHE OGBE – Chief Consultant Haematologist, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.

… I propose this book and the wealth of experience of the writer to every reader … A MASTERPIECE … TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! REV. GOODHEART O. EKWUEME - Visionary: National JAM Praise Festival & Winning Today Broadcast; Senior Pastor: The REFUGE, House on The Rock, Abuja, Nigeria.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ifueko Fex Ogbomo (a.k.a. Lady InspiroLogos) is a multi-talented writer, performance poet, voice-artist and speaker. She focuses on inspiring people to achieve fulfilling lives regardless of background, race, gender, age and physical challenges. She resides in Abuja, Nigeria. This is her first book.


A GLIMPSE INSIDE THE BOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword........................................8
From the Author................................12
PART 1: THEN...................................14
Chapter 1: In a World of Pain..................15
Chapter 2: It’s a Girl!........................23
Chapter 3: In English, Please!.................29
Chapter 4: Growing Pains.......................39
Chapter 5: My Brother, My Friend - A Tribute...55
Chapter 6: A Miraculous Recovery...............67
Chapter 7: Afflictions Arise Again.............79
Chapter 8: The ‘Real’ World....................87
PART 2: NOW!...................................102
Chapter 9: A New Friend, and My Secret Medicine...103
Chapter 10: Diagnosis Y-O-U!......................123
Chapter 11: Impossible is Nothing!................141
Chapter 12: My Hall of Fame.......................157


EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK...
Chapter 1: In a World of Pain
Thursday, January 4th 2007 - I’ve been staring at the same spot on the ceiling for the last three HOURS. I can almost hear each hurried beat of my overworked heart, and I count each one. I’m just waiting … I lay down, motionless, except for the intermittent rise and fall of my chest. As I draw in each excruciating breath, I feel as though a hundred knives are being driven through my entire chest and back, only to be viciously ripped out and mercilessly driven in again, and again, and again… I’m just waiting… if I had to qualify what I feel right now, the words excruciating, agonizing and tormenting come to mind ... A lone tear slowly makes its way down my face as I remember the countless times I’ve been in similar situations over the years ... Oh God, I really don’t know how much more of this I can take ...

Chapter 3: In English, Please!
Actually, I’m not a doctor, and while I can give you my definition based on more than a quarter-of-a-century of personal experience, permit me to give the medical explanation instead: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetic, hereditary, chronic, life-long blood disease, with several short and long-term complications; most common of which are bouts of pain that last for hours, days or even weeks at a time; anaemia or low blood counts, and chronic tissue/organ damage
... in sickle cell patients, the bone marrow produces red blood cells whose lifespan is only 12 to 17 days instead of the usual 90 - 120 days. These short-lived red cells frequently change shape from the normal round (discoid) into the abnormal ‘sickle’ shape, and clump together forming blood clots, which block the tiny vessels that supply blood to various parts of the body, therefore leading to the bouts of pain that range from mild to excruciating. This disease is not a respecter of race, as it can affect persons of ANY race. However research shows it is more prevalent in persons with ancestors from the following places: Africa, India, Southern Greece, Southern Italy, and the Middle East...
...over 4 million out of the total estimated 150 million Nigerians have SCD.

A Word to the Wise ...
If you are a single adult, in fact, if you are a human being and you have reached puberty ... then read the following carefully: If you don’t know your genotype, put this book down right now and go to the nearest hospital or genotype-testing centre and get yourself tested (then come back and finish the book ☺). I’m serious! ... when you meet someone of the opposite sex who you think you even remotely like, believe me, the first question you should ask, after ‘what’s your name?’ is not ‘where are you from?’ but ‘what’s your genotype?’ ... ‘Oh come on’ you might be saying, ‘SCD can’t be that bad!’ Really? Please, permit me to enlighten you ...

Chapter 4: Growing Pains
Being a regular teenage girl is difficult enough what with having to juggle parents, periods, pimples and of course peer-pressure, but in my case I had one more ‘P’ thrown into that mix - you got it: PAIN! One particular experience comes to mind at this point in time. I forget the exact date, but the happenings I remember quite vividly …
I wake up mid-morning on a cold October day and I can tell this is going to be a loooong day. ‘Rise and Shine!’ … Let me rephrase that - in this case its ‘Rise and Whine!’ Oh my goodness, I feel as though every last bone in my hips and legs has just been shattered.
The year: 1994.
The Place: My mom’s bedroom.
The event: You got it - Another Crisis.
Clenching my teeth in order not to scream the house down, I slowly pull my legs up so my knees are bent and my feet are flat on the bed and then I discover it. At first I think I’m seeing things (which wouldn’t surprise me, this level of pain could send anyone insane) so I close my eyes and re-open them. Nope, it’s still there - unbelievable. So I yell “Mo-mmy!” and immediately my mom comes dashing into the room. I promptly inform her the following: “Mommy look, one leg has grown longer than the other.” At first I’m quite certain she thinks I’m suffering from pain-induced dementia, (who could blame her) but indulging me she takes a closer look and after a thorough inspection confirms my suspicions. In fact, believe it or not, the femur or thigh bone in my left thigh had ‘grown’ an inch and a half longer than that of my right thigh, overnight. ... Incredible.
So what happened next? Of course we were off to the hospital where I was promptly hooked up to ‘drip’ (intravenous fluids) and given very strong pain-relievers. For 2 weeks my legs felt like they belonged to someone or something else and after the pain was gone, there was the process of learning to walk properly all over again. (Needless to say all this time as is usual in crises, I’m missing school, which means TONS of make-up assignments and tests waiting for me when I return.) By the time I was able to return to school, I began to have severe backaches because I was now walking on un-even legs. This led to my having to carry a special chair with me to school in order to give my back proper support - as if I didn’t already have enough reasons for my schoolmates to make fun of me...


Chapter 9: A New Friend… and My Secret Medicine
My life was like a continuous series of wanderings through deep, damp, dark and seemingly unending tunnels. That was then, this is now! ... “What’s life like for me NOW?” Well, it’s just that – Life! I’m alive! I’m happy, and I don’t mean ‘lounging-around-eating-grapes-and-listening-to-the-birds-sing-while-staring-at-a-rainbow-in-the-beautiful-blue-skies’ kind of happy, I’m talking about real joy ... I’m optimistic, I’m full of hope and I’m not afraid of anything anymore ... I Am Free ... Well, what happened? I’m glad you asked. It’s simple really - I made a friend ...

_ _ _
Want to read the full story? ORDER YOUR COPY** TODAY!
**Copies available from January 31, 2011.

Official Book Launch Coming Soon!!!
For book copies, launch sponsorship and other enquiries contact:
InspiroLogos World Health Foundation (IWHF)
Email: inspirologosworld@yahoo.com
Phones: +234-7036799233, +234-8036687163, +234-8023499752

JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME!

Times without number I’ve been at death’s door,
My body so sick all I could do was lay on the floor;
As doctor after doctor, perplexed and confused,
Said we’ve tried all we know, you've even been transfused;
But I could hear the tremor in their voices, see the fear in their eyes,
They didn’t believe I’d make it, that’s what I realized;
So I cried out to my God, I said, “If Jehovah is Your name,
Come be Jehovah Rapha, and down He came!”
He picked me up, healed my body and then He set me free,
And I’d just like to tell you why He did this for me:

‘Cos He’s God and He is good, Jehovah Rapha is His name,
Cancer, Anaemia, AIDS, etcetera, to Him they’re all the same;
There’s no disease He cannot cure,
Of this I am certain, I’m absolutely sure;
When I was standing at death’s door, and the devil said “It’s over!”
I said “It's not over till i WIN!" ‘cos I know Jehovah!
Yesterday, today and forever, this God is the same,
He’s the almighty omnipotent King, and Jehovah is His name!

See there’ve been times when I couldn’t pay the rent,
Every dollar, dime and penny had all been spent;
The only food I had was the tears I shed as I lay down at night,
And even though I felt like giving up, I knew I just had to fight;
So I said “Lord, you fed the Israelites, for them you made a way;
You promised to supply all my needs, come be Jehovah Jireh today;”
And just when I thought it was too late, and that I’d lost this war,
You know what my God did? - He sent a check to my door!

‘Cos He’s God and He is good, Jehovah Jireh is His name,
There’s no need He can’t meet, abundant provision’s the ‘name of His game;’
Yes He’s Jehovah, rest assured, there’s no bill He can’t pay,
He’s God and I know, He will always make a way!
So whatever you face, whatever your need, be it great or small,
He’ll be your Jehovah as He is mine, and He’ll cover it all!
Yesterday, today and forever, He’s God, He stays the same,
He’s God all by Himself, and Jehovah is His name!

Time for Celebration or Contemplation?

They say age is just a number, not necessarily reflective of maturity
I say beauty is just an appearance, not necessarily reflective of superiority

I write from a land far away, not my home, I must say
Nevertheless I write about home, for my thoughts lie there, especially on this day
For today, my country celebrates 50 years of independence – it’s our JUBILEE
I can only imagine the celebration – scintillating sights and sounds as far as the eye can see!
So here I sit in a strange land, a beautiful place, my present location
With hours of curious observation resulting in careful retrospection I look around this strange land and can’t help but compare it to my own nation
Inevitably I am left not with joyful thoughts but very sober reflection
For in resources and wealth we are equal, perhaps even greater than they
Yet in productivity, creativity, and beauty we are far less ... so what can I say?
50 years of independence, wow ... Is it just me or do we not seem yet overly dependent?
Relying on others to think for us, create for us, and dictate to us how our wealth should be spent
Our potential exceeds what any mind can imagine – may it no longer remain unrealized
Today many celebrate, a few contemplate, but the truth is all need to ARISE!

Many months ago, I put pen to paper and patriotic poetry was birthed anew
Add a dramatic soundtrack and some nice pictures, and voila! - Nigerians, a special little video for you.

- from Lady InspiroLogos

Visit the following link to View Video 'Nigeria, Arise':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fARSTg0lJ0

Pretty Little Polka Dot Butterfly

Dedicated to a brilliant and very talented little lady:
Miss Aastha Modi, from New Delhi, India.
- - -

I was hurriedly walking down the street
My brow sweaty from the summer heat
Lo and behold, there came out of the blue
(Really it seemed almost too good to be true)
An enchanting creature I’d never before seen:
A polka dot butterfly - it’s spots black and green!

Of course, I stopped right in my tracks
My jaw instantly dropped quite slack
Watching it’s fluttering, flittering, fluid flight
Wondering at this incredible, inspiring sight
And the question that was foremost in my thoughts:
How could a butterfly have green and black spots?

Alas I’d forgotten that I was in a hurry
Gone was the memory of my hustle, bustle and scurry
In those few moments the butterfly danced around
I felt so light I thought my feet left the ground
The Creator must have the most ingenious mind of all
To put so much beauty and grace in a creature so small

Well, all things that begin, must come to an end
Including those precious moments with my little ‘friend’
As I watched it soar higher and higher in the sky
I admit, I was quite tempted to wave goodbye
I’ll tell you one thing though; believe me, I tell you no lie
I’ll never forget that pretty little green and black polka dot butterfly!
_ _ _

Take out time to enjoy life's simple pleasures, every day.
InspiroLogos.

Sometimes...

Sometimes, I just don’t know …
Why the day is dark and the night so long
Why I hope and pray and things still go wrong
Why I sow good and seem to reap bad
Why the wicked do wrong and stay glad

Sometimes, I just can’t see …
A way out of all the complexity
Why can’t I have simplicity?
Oh for an end to all infirmity
Oh for a rise out of mediocrity

Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t me
I wish I could change my history
Switch my calamitous genealogy
Choose an enviable nationality
Would I then attain a great destiny?

Sometimes, I just don’t know
Sometimes, I just can’t see
Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t me
Surprisingly, the one I wish I could be
Secretly wishes that she could be me!

- Lady InspiroLogos

- - -
I wrote the above on a very difficult, dark and lonely day, in a long stretch of similar days; just trying to express the raw emotions that I felt. Nevertheless, my conclusion is just my poetic way of pointing out something I've learned: Everyone's got bad days, or bad weeks, some people even have bad years! And in tough times, the grass always looks greener on the 'other side.' What you may not realize though, is this: for the one looking from that 'other side' it's your grass that looks greener!
To each her own. C'est la vie!

My Poetry Is Therapy

Excerpt From SUNDAY TRUST Newspaper, May 30, 2010.
Written by Abubakar A. Ibrahim

It is a strange name, InspiroLogos, but for this slender performing poet, it is the perfect stage name. It epitomises her belief in life that words can be inspiring. And she has not stopped at inspiring herself with words but everyone who comes across her.
On stage she is sensational, delivering poetry with verve and theatrics that leaves the audience ... well, inspired! ut for this poet, voice talent, song writer and motivational speaker, born Ifueko Fex Ogbomo, a 2003 graduate of Music from Texas Lutheran University, United States, there is more to this name, InspiroLogos.
"That came from my mind actually, she said. "Inspiro comes from the Greek word, the root word for 'inspiration' and logos means 'words' and because I try to inspire people with words as a poet and a speaker, I decided to create that name because I like to be unique. When people hear that name I want that description of me to follow - InspiroLogos, they know they are going to get inspirational words."

BACKGROUND
Lady InspiroLogos was born some 30 years ago to a mixed heritage. Her father hails from Edo and her mother is from Benue. She said she is glad to claim both states. "Since I was born by two parents, I count both states as mine ... and the entire country" she said, laughing.
Coming from two states with rich traditions, she has not been influenced much by either, as she speaks none of her parents' languages. "I don't speak either because my parents speak English in our house. Obviously in order to communicate, the speak the same language," she said.
For what many might consider a minus, the poet considers it a plus. "I have an excellent command of the English language because it is my first language," she said. This is something her trade depends on and she has no problems with that. For her dose of local language, she makes do with a smattering of Hausa, which she learnt while growing up in Kaduna.

POETIC LICENSE
Lady InspiroLogos did not set out to be a performing poet, it came quite by chance It started when she was younger, she said. "I was a child when I started writing poems. I didn't really know what i was doing. I just knew i always had something to say. So, if it was somebody's birthday, instead of buying cardss, I would rather write for them or write for my parents. I noticed that people liked and appreciated it more because it was coming from my heart instead of something I just picked up in a store," she said.
But at that stage, she had not realised the potential imbued in her until much later in life, outside the shores of her country when she went to school in Texas. "Over there, I was really encouraged that I do have a gift because I didn't see it as a gift, it was just like 'oh well, i had my own thing to say' you know. But they kind of pushed me and said, you really have a way with words and you need to do something about it."
She did not do much about it until she came back home to Nigeria, where her talent grew wings and flew as she recalled with pride, "It wasn't until i came back home that I got into Abuja Literary Society Poetry Competition that i realized i was as good as people said because i went in and won the competition." That was in May 2009. That triumph came as a surprise. She admitted she was not expecting to win and when she did her life was transformed. She decided to transform her art as well, from a bud to a blossom. She introduced costumes, she introduced drama and she brought in flair. "It gets bigger and bigger everyday, you know, more drama, more costumes," she said. Now her performances are greeted with wows, standing ovations and sometimes with tears. She has grown from the fledgling poet to an accomplished performer.

STAGE TRIUMPH
Her most exciting moment on stage was in September last year when she performed at teh Eagle Square, Abuja. It was a youth summit and most members of the audience were young. She decided to deliver a poem called "Nigeria, Arise!" which she described as a patriotic piece. Given the youths general apathy towards the nation, she was stunned by the boisterous standing ovation that greeted her performance. "My most exciting moment was to see thousands of people get up and cheer 'Lady I.' 'Lady I.' because I wasn't expecting them to even appreciate, because I wasn't there to entertain," she said.

STAGE FRIGHT?
There is no tale of laughable stage fright for Lady InspiroLogos. For as long as she can remember, she has always been on stage. The one moment she could recall as her first was at 14, when she led out her church choir. "I actually recited a three-foolscap sheet speech from memory and I had people on their feet screaming." When asked if she was nervous during the performance, she said "I really was (laughs) but they told me i didn't look nervous, that i looked really confident" And so began her march to a life on stage with unruffled feathers.
Even now, she exudes a confidence that belies the challenges she has overcome and in some cases, still battling with. Life as a performing poet is "very difficult." The thrills have always been there, the joy of seeing the effects of her words touching the hearts of her audience, the satisfaction of having tonnes of commendations from inspired fans. But beneath this, there is the trouble of financial reward, which she says is not much to write home about. "There are ups and downs to it, but I'm never gonna stop," she said.

BENEATH HER BEAUTIFUL MASK
That is not the least of her challenges though. For one born with the sickle cell disease life has been quite a challenge. . .
. . . "My poetry is sort of therapy for me and also a way to present myself and present my thoughts; it's a way to escape into my mind and a world where everything works. It's also a way to express when there's difficulty in my life," she said . . .
. . . She is an elegant lady and if one never knew, one might never guess she has sickle cell. She seemed healthy, and vibrant as well. She calls herself an “overcomer,” having overcome what would ordinarily be an impairment. What happened, what transformed her from the sickly girl to a flowery poet gracing the stage with inspiring poetry and motivational talks? “I have a source of strength and that is my faith in God and what he has done for me,” she said. She has decided to commit her time and resources to fight the sickle cell disease by creating awareness. She has written a book, 'Through My Eyes: Then and Now!', based on her experiences and how she overcame the ailment. She wants sufferers of sickle cell to have hope and for intending couples to do the right thing by having their genotypes tested so they don’t end up with children having the disease. “The purpose is to tell a gripping story and at the same time, you are educating people about sickle cell disease. They are learning facts and figures they didn’t know before, dispelling myths that existed about it And they are also getting a message of hope, they are getting my survival strategy,” she said. . .
The book will be coming out sometime later this year.

The life of InspiroLogos is an inspiration as the poetic belle through her resilience, has demonstrated that thee is no challenge that is insurmountable and that in art, even the hopeless can find a light somewhere down the dark tunnel of life.

I Love Her, I Love Her Not ...

Copyright © Ifueko Fex Ogbomo 2009

A faithful friend, she’s always there
A constant companion, she’s ever near
So compassionate, sensitive, and gentle is she
A more noble being there never could be
She gives to every needy person we meet
Even stops to help old ladies cross the street
Alas no one is perfect, no, not even she
Her motives are no doubt, as pure as can be
But I fault her in this, she’s a little too nosy
In my affairs she finds herself a little too cozy!

When I ‘stretch the truth’ to get out of trouble
She’s makes me come clean on the double
When I’m enraged and ready to give out a piece of my mind
She tells me to save it and instead be long-suffering and kind!
I once wished my fellow contestants would fall
So that I would be crowned the Belle-of-the-Ball
But one look into her baby brown eyes
And the error of my ways I at once realized

When controversy arises she’s ever equipped with a word
That pierces my heart like a double-edged sword
How I hate that I can’t seem to win whenever we fight
The exasperating fact is she’s always darned right!
When I secretly plan my revenge, executing it swiftly
She inevitably discovers it, and makes me feel so guilty
I wish she’d butt out and let me have my way
I wish she’d shut up and let me have my say
I love her not, Miss goody-two-shoes
She’s a friend I sometimes wish I could loose!

Alas, whenever I take a walk down memory lane
And I peek through my historical window pane
I see that in good times and bad, in glad moments and sad
She’s been there, always near, with a listening ear
I see that whenever I’ve taken her advice as I should
It’s always, always, worked out for my good
How happy I am when she’s constantly near
How sweet I sleep when she’s crystal clear
Oh I love her, and strive daily to love her more
For of this one thing I’m absolutely sure:
The most wicked of creatures I'd undoubtedly be
If my darling, my conscience, were ever to leave me!
_ _ _

Indeed, a tender conscience is a priceless treasure. One of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. A ‘divine red-flag’ as it were - warning us when our thoughts, words or deeds fall short of God’s standard of Love. Learn to be sensitive to follow the promptings of your conscience. I assure you, your life and the lives of those in your sphere of influence, will be better for it. Ignore your conscience often enough and eventually, it’ll stop speaking. What a tragedy that would be, for a man without a conscience is not a man, but a monster.
Selah.

Lady InspiroLogos.