Beautiful Amputee widow, Yetunde Morenikeji Ajani is a truly beautiful ebony complexioned woman who is stylish too. She had one of her legs amputated a few years back after she was involved in an accident in which her husband died. But despite this Yetunde has remained strong. She is one of the strongest ladies on the planet Earth, she has been through a lot in life, losing her husband in May 2012. This same day she lost her leg, she was hospitalized for close to 2 years, moving from one hospital to another, for different surgeries. But she never gave up on life. To her nothing is impossible. She has been a source of inspiration to many that are physically challenged. She also runs an NGO which takes care of people who have health-related issues in her own little way, her story is indeed inspiring to lots of people going through different challenges in life, below are the excerpts.
How have you coped with the lockdown in the last 3 months?
It’s been crazy, just the way it has been with every other person.
What are the lessons you have learnt from the lockdown?
So many lessons for different people, we should know that some people believe they can do without certain things in the past but with the situation on ground now they know they can do without a few number of things, life is not a do or die affair, we all need something else to hold to survive like second income.
We know you are celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the foundation, can you tell us about it?
I just realised today was our anniversary. The page was created out of fun and due to popular demand and to the glory of God we are having fun and even doing more than what it was created for, we are touching lives.
What was it set it up for 3 yrs ago?
I only registered it to formalize it this year January when I came back after my accident, I spent 2 yrs away, when I came back I told myself that while I was in that jungle, strangers rallied round me foreigners were the people practically taking care of me and I realized I should just give back to the society so I started going to the hospital picking very few people I think my pocket can afford their medication. When you go to UCH, you will realize some patients can not even afford 800 to buy drugs, some can’t afford to pay 1200 for consultation fees before it was even increased to a thousand five hundred so I realized if I could just give 2 thousand to you that will go a long way to help some people out so that was how everything started, there was also a time I was at the hospital, a patient was brought in and the session where I was didn’t have a wheelchair the other units were not willing to release theirs, I said to myself in the process of getting a wheelchair to take him in he could die and I also could be in this position tomorrow so I decided to do the little I can do on my own, now that the foundation is fully registered I desire to do more though I don’t have the financial capability yet but with God all things are possible
Have you always been a strong woman to be able to accept things like this?
I can’t say, nobody can say this is how strong they are till you probably have life challenges so I can’t say but one thing I know is this, may the soul of my late husband rest in peace he used to tell me something if any of us is going to die I will like to go first which of course I never liked and each time I ask him why he will say because you are stronger. Fine it is going to be tough to you but you will cope but if you have to go first honestly I won’t survive 2 weeks without you. It’s been rough, challenging but with the grace of God am moving on and am loving it
How did you come to terms with the reality of your new life?
That’s quite amazing I would not say it’s my will to accept or handle that aspects of life grace is involved in everyone’s journey in life so God did it, it’s not me, my children are my pillar of support they accepted the new image God created in their mother so it makes the whole episode very easy and it was the most important thing to me, once your family can accept whoever you are with love and not pity, it makes everything easy
What was the experience like? What did you go through that time?
What I went through that year is not an experience I will probably wish for my worst enemy, my husband was a medical doctor and was in Saudi Arabia for sabbatical, the agreement was for him to spend 2 yrs there , we had our resident permit including that of the children but they never liked Saudi Arabia only visited the place once but never liked it so we decided not to stay there permanently, the accident happened during one of my visit to him I was into business selling fabrics and gold jewelry so each time I travel to get goods I use that opportunity to spend weeks with him then return to the children, the last time I went was in twenty twelve and I was meant to come back on the thirty first of May because first of June would have been my eldest son’s sixteenth birthday and we were going to a Mall which was like 30 minutes drive to pick something for someone because we just hosted a dinner for some Nigerians that night, I couldn’t remember what happened shortly after, I was told we had an accident and he didn’t make it. He lost his life on the spot and I was in a coma for weeks, when I came out I realized that I lost my left leg with mental and screws and I still have a pipe in this right eye in the last 7 yrs for something that was just supposed to be for 6 months I have dislocation of shoulders, my wrists are not good it was tough staying in the hospital for 23 months moving from one hospital to another for different surgery, it was really crazy and tough. At a stage, they had to call in the psychiatrist to come and evaluate me thinking I was going crazy because I was always shouting and crying when praying, challenged God for my situation. Am someone that doesn’t keep friends, I saw everything I was looking for in my husband. When it happened it was just as if I was stripped naked it was very challenging for me but I remembered one day I was praying and telling God you have taken the only thing in my life that really matters to me, you also took my health and my leg so I don’t know how you are going to do it that the world will not mock me. Meanwhile, a night before the accident, while we were going out my husband, made prayer so I told him thank you for all you have been doing for the kids and I. He said “Yetunde you will never be disgraced in life. It was after the accident I understood the impact of that prayer, it was not just a prayer but a powerful one from a soul that probably saw it coming but couldn’t share it with me. I give glory to God for those strangers he used in my life that I will never see again, for the ones that he is still using today, am grateful it could have been worst than this. What if he had taken me too that night what would have become of those children? Fine, they would have survived but it would have been extremely tough. God is good. He is wonderful and I love what he’s doing in my life, I have had moments like this where I have things to share but couldn’t find the opportunity. Many were happy it happened saying I turned my husband to a mini God and God does not want to share himself with anybody so he had to take him but let me use this opportunity to address it, if they have the opportunity to watch this, I didn’t turn Adeniyi to a mini God but he turned me into a mini-god. He worshipped me so there’s nothing I can do to compensate for what he has done in my life, he gave me the love of 70 years to come knowing he will leave seventeen years after the marriage it was a wonderful journey I had with him so it’s been rough but I give God all the glory, I still have daily challenges here and there.
What is your advice to people going through different challenges?
In the holy books, I read the Bible and the Quran, God said he is not giving us a life filled with challenges no matter how good your life is God is not giving you a life without tribulations but how we manage it is what matters. He said I will not give you a burden that is too heavy for you to bear. He knows I can carry this, I don’t see this weak shoulders to carry my burden I need his grace and that is what that matters. If you have challenges in your life and you want to give up by taking your life, fine. I tried taking my life my life twice but Doctor Saheed saw the second attempt and that was the day I saw him cry. An elderly man cried and told me I was selfish and also that I was an ingrate, he also said what gave me the assurance that when I die I would go and meet my husband where he is. He said even if I kill myself we might end up not being in the same place that I just want to leave my kids to suffer for nothing. If God has preserved my life then I don’t have a right to take my life. He told me to fight just like what my eldest son once told me. I was on the sick bed for 8 months and my boy used to tell me ,mum if you want to leave the hospital alive you need to stop thinking about our Daddy, your husband, think about us, if you keep thinking about Daddy you will never make it out alive and that truly helped me, I had to fight to survive then came back to Nigeria when I got better for my children. If you take your own life during challenges it won’t solve anything, the problems will remain. It will only shift base and what happens to you when you are gone? We don’t know, do you know if you will get an additional punishment for taking your life, you didn’t create a life so you can’t take one apart from that of the animals which God has given us power over. God knows what he is doing and we might not know it, whatever challenges your are facing now is part of the journey God has ordained for you to get to the next level. If I didn’t have these challenges I won’t have had the opportunity to know you and also know some amazing people he has put in my life today. If this didn’t happen, something worst would have happened, if people ‘s challenges are put in a basket and am asked to choose one I will still rather pick the one am going through now because I have the hope and grace to carry mine if I take some other persons I might not be able to stand it and if you want mine you might not be able to carry it
How do you cope with daily routine?
I take every day as it comes I have learnt from my late husband, he was a workaholic which didn’t equate to what he had in life so whether you do it or not life must go on. If you kill yourself all in the name of trying to have it all in life it won’t take long for people to mourn and forget you. People you feel can’t survive without you will, so I take each day as it comes. Anything am doing and I feel I can’t cope anymore I just let it go and rest
How did you develop that stylish aspect of you?
I think it has been like that from when I was growing up, I took it from my mum of blessed memory, if I use newspaper to make clothes and wear people will surely admire it on me, my mum was an illiterate but loves fashion, so I love fashion a lot and love looking good.
When did you decide when you English or native attire?
That started from my school days, during holidays I wore native during my university days, it always native affair every Friday, I wear anything I am comfortable with
Any message to your fans and viewers?
Let’s love ourselves first nobody will love you the way you love yourself. If you don’t love yourself you can’t love the next person, you can’t give what you don’t have. I pleaded with God to replace my sorrow with smiles and he did it. Whatever you are going through in life love yourself challenge yourself, I don’t do things to impress anybody but myself and God, I don’t chase shadows and I live each day as it comes. Someone you are trying to impress might be admiring you secretly but won’t let you know. Life is full of obstacles. Trust God and have faith. When I was in the hospital, a customized shoe was made for my right leg believing I can’t wear the normal shoes but I told myself even if I can’t wear the usual shoes I will wear something better than what my legs were measured for at the hospital. My therapist was shocked when he realized I can sit without any pillow support, the accident I had touched every part of my face apart from my tongue. So every part of my face was worked on except my tongue. I kept my hope alive. Tell yourself you can do it and you will do it.
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