I attempted suicide twice when I realised I had gone blind –Winner of 100m race for the blind

April 27, 2012 by MOTUNRAYO ABODERIN

MOTUNRAYO ABODERIN highlights the captivating stories of visually-impaired but talented athletes at the Pacelli School for the Blind, Oshodi, Lagos.

The recent inter-house sports competition of the Pacelli School for the Blind and Partially-sighted Children in Lagos was an occasion that guests would not forget in a hurry. All the athletes suffered one disability or the other. Some were visually-impaired while some were partially sighted. But in spite of their challenges, they ran, jumped and participated in the march past. As guests watched the visually-impaired pupils run, engage in march past and jump from one end of the field to another, you could see amazement cum excitement on their faces. It was indeed a day for the reinforcement of the saying that “There is ability in disability.”

The most memorable event of the inter -house sports competition was the 100 metres race for both boys and girls. Aside it being the first race on the list of events, you could see parents and invited guests watch in astonishment and wonder how visually- impaired persons could run without any assistance.

However, security measures such as an official blowing a whistle to alert the participants that the race had started and another official positioned at the other side of the field to prevent them from running into the wall, were all put in place.

At the end of the 100m dash, 17-year-old Opeyemi Adewole came first.  Her story, which she narrated to our correspondent after winning the race, was as encouraging as it was motivating.

 Adewole said, “I was not born blind. Back in high school, Cambridge High School, Okota to be precise, I noticed that my vision was getting blurred, but I did not take it seriously. After some time, my mum noticed that I was not doing well in my studies and then I informed her about my sight. She took me to an optician.

“The optician prescribed a pair of eye glasses, but I noticed that the eye glasses were worsening my eye sight. So I stopped using them. Later on, the optician suggested I undergo an eye operation, but I was scared of it because I had heard of people who died on the operation table. So I refused the operation,” she said.

One Thursday morning, Adewole woke up and discovered that the world around her was in total darkness even when the time was 7am.

“I woke up, opened my eyes, but it was dark. I thought I was dreaming. I lay on the bed, closed my eyes and opened them again, but everywhere was dark. That was when it dawned on me that I was blind. I screamed. I nearly lost my mind. I cried till there were no tears left.

 “My mum and everybody else tried to comfort me, but no one could feel my pain. I gave up on life. I lost all hope. That was when the thought of suicide came to my mind. I attempted suicide twice, but it did not work. The first suicide attempt was when I drank insecticide, but the next morning I woke up hungry. I was sad the substance did not work.

“My second suicide attempt was when I wanted to hang myself. That day, I had already prepared how it would all work. I made sure there was not going to be any one at home. So in the afternoon, I got the rope, tied it to the fan and then climbed on the chair. Just when I was about to kick off the chair, I heard footsteps approaching my room. I quickly removed the rope and got off the chair,” she said.

Adewole said her aunty walked into her room and asked her what she was doing with the rope, but she lied that she was only playing with it.

“My aunty saved my life. Sometimes, I tell myself that if I had committed suicide, I would have forfeited the beautiful plans God has in store for me. I thought that was the end of life. But now I’m so happy. I believe there is nothing impossible. I don’t look down on myself,” she said.

Adewole’s story isn’t any different from Amina Umar’s story. Just like Adewole, Amina had completed her university degree and the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme before she became visually -impaired.

However, the excitement on the faces of the visually-impaired pupils of Pacelli School really made the day interesting for everyone.

The sack race, march past, three-legged race, tug of war and long jump were all captivating.

 At the end of the keenly contested event, Blue House emerged winner with 121 points while Red House came second with 120 points.

Lauding the participants, the Chairman, Nigerian Society for the Blind, Mrs. Bola Agbaje, said she was excited with the day’s outcome.

She said, “One thing people do not know is that sports are actually beneficial to a physically-challenged person. Participation in sport is not essential but it is important that people with disabilities are encouraged to remain physically active. When a muscle is not exercised, it does not get to its full potential but by the time you start to exercise it, it not only grows but also becomes more flexible.”

Meanwhile, the Technical Director and National Coach, Para-Sports Athletics, Mr. Kasunmu Taiwo,  has said inter-house sports provide the association the opportunity to discover talents that will represent Nigeria at the Para-Olympics tournament.

He said, “I’m pleased with the efforts all the participants have shown. These are the kind of people we need to represent Nigeria. We already have participants for this year’s Para-Olympic tournament coming up in August. But for next year, I will definitely pick some of these pupils.”

Speaking on his experience in handling physically- challenged individuals, Taiwo said, “The journey has been challenging but interesting. It is not easy managing various personalities. Physically-challenged individuals tend to be aggressive. They need patience and love.”