Part 9: Growing With Confidence

Naomi was in Year 3 when she first settled into school here in the UK. She adjusted quickly and began doing well in her class. When she came home she enjoyed doing her assignments and often started them on her own. Her classroom used tablets and computers, which helped her because she could zoom in and read comfortably. I also bought her a tablet at home and we learned together. We regularly visited the library to choose books she liked, and she developed a strong love for reading.She also joined different after-school clubs. She loved them. She enjoyed singing and took part in small performances. She tried acting and would come home excited to tell us what she practiced. She even started writing her own stories and adding drawings to them. Seeing her happy and expressive was something I had prayed for.

In 2023 we attended her hospital appointment. After a full examination she was formally diagnosed with Coloboma and other visual conditions. The doctors explained her eyes do not align properly and both eyes are underdeveloped. Her type of Coloboma is different from the common visible form some patients have. The doctor explained there is no corrective treatment for now and they could only support her vision. He also said she might not be able to drive when she becomes an adult. That moment broke me.But the most important thing was that she was now living in a society where she could grow with support and dignity. She is a very intelligent child. She loves reading, learning new things, and asking questions.

Since we came to the UK her confidence increased greatly. I stopped living with daily fear about her safety. She learned how to move around properly and understood her environment better. She no longer walked into objects the way she used to. For the first time, I began to see her future with hope instead of worry.

Comments

Our New Beginning: Naomi’s Story pt1

On March 11, 2015, my wife Treasure and I welcomed our first child, Naomi, in Lagos, Nigeria. Holding her in my arms was one of the happiest moments of my life. She was strong, beautiful, and full of promise. Her name, Naomi, was chosen with purpose. To us, it means delight and blessing. She was the beginning of our family’s story, and from the start she showed a strength that continues to inspire us. Her birth was not as we expected. She weighed over 5kg, and complications meant the doctors had to assist with delivery. In the process, her shoulder was dislocated. We did not know immediately. After 48 hours we noticed something was wrong and asked the doctors. That was where her first journey of pain began. At just four days old, Naomi’s tiny shoulder was put in a cast by a child orthopedist. Every visit was painful to watch. My wife and I cried many times, and some days I could not bear to take her back because I did not want to see her cry again. Still, we pushed forward. Even in ...

Naomi’s Story, Part 2: When We Learned About Her Eye

After the struggle with Naomi’s shoulder at birth, life slowly settled. As new parents, we were learning step by step, enjoying every moment with our beautiful first child. We thought the hardest part was behind us. But as time passed, we began to notice something different about her eyes. At first, we told ourselves it was nothing serious, something that would improve as she grew. When Naomi turned one, during a hospital visit, the doctor examined her and said it was a “lazy eye” that would correct itself. We felt some relief then. The first optician we met even recommended glasses. We held on to that hope, believing that once she wore them, everything would be fine. But the glasses never worked. We tried again and again to book appointments at the general hospital. Long queues, lack of specialists, and the weight of life in Lagos as a young couple made it all so overwhelming. Still, we carried on, hoping for change. By the time Naomi turned two, our worries grew heavy. She still coul...

Naomi’s Story, Part 5: Awareness or Support?

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...

Naomi’s Journey

Search This Blog