Fatimah Adesola Aderohunmu is a 23-year-old Abeokuta lady. She is a freelance virtual assistant and a student at Nigeria’s National Open University.
Fatimah Aderohunmu has overcome a lot. She was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when she was 11 and she’s had around the clock care for years and now advocating for people living with disabilities.
In this interview with Muslim Voice NG, Fatima tells how how she is getting over the challenges that being in a wheelchair affords her.
MV: What drives you to advocate for persons with disabilities?
FA: I advocate for PWDs because I know what people like me go through every day and I want to be the voice for the voiceless by speaking up for what they want or need.
MV: You are a fighter against muscular dystrophy. Is it something you were born with?
FA: No, I wasn’t born with it, it started suddenly when I was 11 years old and I’m 23 years now.
MV: What is muscular dystrophy and how does it affect you?
FA: Muscular dystrophy is a rare condition that weakens the muscles over time and it is a rare genetic condition but I didn’t inherit mine because none of my family members has the condition.
In muscular dystrophy, a gene change prevents the body from making the proteins needed to build and maintain healthy muscles.
With muscular dystrophy you need assistance with everything, getting up from a chair, using the bathroom, taking a shower, preparing meals, and everything.
People with the condition can gradually lose the ability to do everyday tasks like walking, sitting, and other things like that.
The progression of the condition is very unpredictable. There could be times when I just rapidly deteriorate and there could be times where It is relatively stable for a long time.
MV: Knowing that there is currently no cure for your ailment. What were your thoughts on the situation?
FA: At first, it was a difficult decision for me to accept it when I was told about it because I had plans and dreams to achieve right before the condition started and I was on the verge of committing suicide but that was when a met different people living with this type of condition living their lives to the fullest and I said to myself that day that I’m going to live, muscular dystrophy can’t win over me and I accepted my fate because I believe Allah has a better plan for me and he knows I am capable of taking the challenge.
MV: Living with the condition comes at a high price. How are you dealing with the situation?
FA: To be honest, being disabled with a rare condition, I have been introduced to a whole new world and the journey has not been an easy one it affected every relationship I have had because I can’t be as social as I would like to be, I can’t go out with my friends and it affected my daily living in some ways, for example, if nobody is home, I don’t take any liquid because there is no one to help me to the bathroom.
Everything with this condition is kind of a race against time because you don’t know how fast your condition is gonna deteriorate.
MV: Do you think your parents let your illness define their lives?
FA: Not really but I know it always breaks their heart seeing their first child living with a rare condition that doesn’t have a cure yet and they don’t let them define who they are.
MV: How would you motivate others in this situation to pursue their dreams?
FA: I know this is hard but I want you to keep fighting, giving up is not an option.
