HOW STRONG ARE YOU?

 

They had been at the hospital for weeks, watching over their daughter who had been drifting in and out of coma. Nearly everyone had been to see them to offer both financial and emotional support. I couldn't see them before now because I'd also been financially lean and didn't think I'd be comfortable visiting and leaving them without offering any financial assistance, especially when I'm am well aware they've spent quite a fortune trying to keep their precious daughter alive. 

Vanessa had been ill for some time now. She'd been taken to a couple of hospitals before the parents were advised to bring her to where they were now. The extremely beautiful eight year old girl had some heart related problem and her condition had grown worse. I could scarcely recognize her. I noticed her eyes had sunk in a bit and her lips looked horribly dry. She was in some excruciating pain and you could see it in her eyes that the little girl was doing all she could to stay alive. 

"What exactly is the situation now?" I'd asked my friend quietly. His wife sat almost motionlessly by her daughter's bed, tears silently coursing down her face as she held Vanessa's hand in hers and prayed. 

"Wale, the doctor's say she's got a 50-50 chance of survival. They've operated on her, but yet..." my friend fought back the tears as he talked to me. 

"Be strong, Dave, she'll be okay," I comforted him. " Our God is not wicked, He won't let anything, not even a thousand demons, take her away from you!"

I was still talking to Dave when Vanessa stirred and opened her eyes. Her Mum promptly rose to her feet, her mouth hanging open as she groped for words to say. 

"Angel..my Angel.." she whispered to her daughter. Even she had lost so much weight, the anguish of the past weeks had begun to take its toll on her. 

"Mum..mummy...you're crying.." Vanessa said to her mum. You could feel the pain with which she talked. 'Why, mummy..why are you crying?" she'd asked. 

Quickly, the mother wiped her eyes clean with the back of her hand. "Its okay, sweetheart, I'm not crying anymore. But how are you, my love? How are you feeling now?"

Vanessa closed her eyes and adjusted her head slightly. "I told you, mum, I will..will be alright. I am not going to die, mummy, I promise I won't leave you and Daddy..."

It was such an emotional moment. Her mum and dad held themselves together and knelt over their daughter, throwing open the gates of their eyes as the flood of tears came tumbling down. I moved to a corner of the room and battled with my own emotions, it was desperately trying to get the better of me. 

As I left their presence, I couldn't help but salute the courage of this strong little girl. If as an eight year old she's got a heart this big and powerful, imagine what a strong character she'll be when she becomes an adult. Vanessa was staring at death in the face and telling the bastard he couldn't take her life, that she would live, no matter what it takes! Now, I'm wondering, how many of us can demonstrate the sort of courage and faith this kid has shown in the face of adversity? How many times have we given up on life just because we lost our job or because the child we so desperately seek has not come? How many times have you cried and begged God not to let you die just because you had a little bout of malaria? How many times have we thought the whole world was against us just because we didn't know where the next meal would come from? Even I am guilty of this. I've got massive challenges on my hands right now that's shattered me emotionally. 

But Vanessa has taught me to be strong. She's taught me to show courage even in the face of the most terrifying tribulation. She's fighting death with every fiber in her body, and you know what? She's winning! Now, you tell me, how strong are you in the face of adversity?    

Article written by Wale Lawal.