Naomi’s Journey

We did not give up. I believe Naomi has the strongest parents she could ever have. During this time it was only me and my wife carrying everything about her. I kept my circle small because there was little help and little support. My focus stayed on Naomi’s future. I believe there is a reason God gave her to me, and a reason I am still alive for her.  Naomi is a brilliant girl. Anyone who sits with her for a few minutes sees it. She understands quickly. She asks deep questions. She remembers things easily. Her eyes struggle, but her mind is sharp and alive. Our struggle didn’t start in school. It started during the pregnancy. My wife began spotting and we rushed to the hospital. The doctor gave her medication, but instead of helping, the bleeding became worse. Later we realized it was a drug that could even terminate the pregnancy. I was terrified. I quickly moved her to another hospital because we almost lost the baby. Then came delivery. After Naomi was born, nobody told us anyth...

Naomi’s journey in school broke something inside me as a father. When we put Naomi in that school, we explained everything to them. We told them her condition. Naomi has Coloboma, Strabismus and Nystagmus. Her sight is poor. She cannot see clearly from far. To read, she has to move closer to the board or bring books very close to her face. They said it was noted and promised they would support her. We trusted them. We believed our child was safe there. But they didn’t really understand what Coloboma meant. I showed them what I had read online and explained simple things they could do to help her in class. Most average schools in Nigeria don’t even have internet access. Only expensive schools have tablets and online learning. So there was no real effort to learn about her condition or adjust the classroom for her. But for two months, my daughter was hurting and we didn’t know. Her teacher was beating and scolding her because she could not read what was written on the board. Naomi i...

  In 2016 and 2017, I started searching for awareness and support within Nigeria. I called hospitals, sent emails, and searched social media for anything related to Coloboma. Every response I got was silence. No group. No foundation. No awareness campaign. It felt like the condition did not exist in our country. I remember walking into one of the major eye centres in Lagos, hoping to meet other parents like me. The doctors told me they had seen children with Coloboma before, but no one had ever formed a support group or association. There was no record, no follow-up, no awareness. It broke me. In the UK and US, families were coming together, learning from one another, and supporting their children. In Nigeria, parents were isolated, each carrying their burden in silence. That gap became my mission. I decided I would not let Naomi’s story end in silence. If awareness did not exist, we would start it. We continued visiting hospitals for second and third opinions. Most doctors said th...