In 2008, I was in Jss 2 and turning 12. I remember my name being called out during mass and prayed for. It was such a celebrity moment because my school’s vice administrator was officiating mass that Friday. It was a combined mass for both junior and senior students because it was test week. The…

In 2008, I was in Jss 2 and turning 12. I remember my name being called out during mass and prayed for. It was such a celebrity moment because my school’s vice administrator was officiating mass that Friday. It was a combined mass for both junior and senior students because it was test week. The whole school literally knew it was my birthday! Everyone was extra nice. I can’t remember taking cake to school, but I remember my mom preparing catfish peppersoup and pounded yam, one of my favourite meal. That I went on to ace the test of that day was an added bonus.

In 2012, I was in SS 3 and turning 16. I was in boarding school and though it was prohibited for family to bring food and provisions when it wasn’t open day/visiting day, the school allowed my mom to do and undo whatever she wanted that day. I got food and drinks. I got cake, biscuits and sweets. I got extra money. I spent hours with my mom till security came to send her home. It was such an amazing day.

My classmates donated some of their provisions and feeding money, haha. I was a Capri Sonne junkie that year and they ensured I didn’t run out of it till we were almost leaving school for break. My birthday was announced once again during assembly and getting juniors fawn over me was funny. Sometime months later, I published my first book. Things didn’t turn out as I had expected where the book was concerned, but it was still a great year – I held my dream in my hands for the first time.

In 2016, I turned 20. I was in medical school, in year 4. I had just met T a few months back and still reeling from how one person can be so amazing without being family. I think I had started to catch the wisp of feelings around this time, lmao. But I was basking in pure, unbelievable friendship, not just from him but from everyone in my life at the time.

The day before, a Sunday, everyone in youth church had paparazzi-ed me. We took so many pictures, and someone took me out for lunch. On Monday, my actual birthday, my classmates didn’t let me hear word. I think every lecturer wished me a happy birthday! The hostel knew I was born on the 29th. My roommates did this heidous makeup on me that looked pretty at that time, but everytime I see the pictures from that day, I burst into laughter.

Come evening, my entire campus fellowship came to my room in their numbers. People even stood outside on the corridor and staircase because the room was crowded and hot. Some of my classmates from secondary school came all the way from University of Lagos main campus, Akoka, with homemade cupcakes. I was far from home, away from my parents and family who were in Asaba, Delta state. Yet I was home, incredibly loved.

In 2020, I was an intern Radiographer at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). I turned 24. As always, the birthday celebration started a day before, in church. Only a few friends knew about this and we took pictures as always. I was in a different church now. Not many people knew me, but the few who did made my Sunday special. I went for my first book lunch that day, and I ended up hating the book. I spent my actual birthday all alone. It was a Monday. That was my first quiet birthday ever. I wasn’t even interested in taking calls, but the calls came nonetheless, and I answered because I couldn’t bring myself to deny people from celebrating with me. T was on call that day. We were dating now.

A few days later, COVID happened. The world turned upside down. I didn’t get to properly celebrate my birthday. Life changed. The days leading to my birthday, I had been taking stocks of my life and beating myself up for not publishing another book, LMAO. When COVID came, I forgot all about books. I was living in a nightmare.

LUTH was announced as an isolation center. I had escaped three COVID cases by mere coincidences. Then our building came down with covid, and more than half of the residents had contracted it. They were made to isolate in their rooms until some were moved to the isolation ward. My neighbours on both sides had it. We shared toilet and bought food stuff from the same vendor in the building. In fact, one of my neighbours had come into my room days before to confirm if he could smell or not. Chi and I had consoled him after spraying perfume on him, which he couldn’t smell, only for us to hear the next day that he was a confirmed case.

2020 was a crazy year. But it was also a year of immense growth. I left medical radiography that year and started my career as a content writer, social media expert, and community manager. I started multiple businesses and was paying people. I lived by faith in 2020, I was stretched and I didn’t break. How I didn’t fall sick could only have been God. How I didn’t break was definitely God. What I thought was a joke, a mere passing of time ended up becoming my full-time job. 2020 was the year for relearning and realignment.

2024, Thursday, the 29th of February, 2024, I turn 28 or 7 if you’re counting the number of birthdays I have actually marked on earth (haha). I now work as a full time content writer, technical support and comms lead. I am married to T. I live in London, UK. I attend a different church – Celebration Church. I am to launch a book by Q3-Q4. I have grown so much, sometimes I find it hard to recognize myself, and how far I have come.

I am ecstatic about 2024. I am really looking forward to just basking in God’s faithfulness on Thursday, and also in friends and family.

God has been good to me. That’s an understatement. Still, God has been good to me.