See this couple above, they cannot hear you but they can read your lips……Read their beautiful story as told to SDK below:
My name is Izunna Onedibe,Am 29, the first son of my family from
Anambra state Nigeria. Here is my story, when I was younger, I noticed
that I could neither talk nor hear like my sisters who where older than
me. I noticed that my parents where not happy about that as there first
son is deaf and dumb. I later had a brother after me who could neither
talk nor hear as well. This broke my parent’s heart, made them bitter
soul, unhappy, sleepless night, inferior, ashamed just name it on how
their two sons are disabilities.
They took us to so many
hospitals (the one’s they could afford) buh to no avail. The doctors
kept telling them to have some patience that they will hear and speak
like other children as we grow buh that didn’t happen. We forced
ourselves so many times to talk normal…Hu sai..
My
parents then decided to take us to churches as people advised. We went
from church to church, Crusades in Nigeria for miracles where they took
alot of thousands of Naira from my parents as seeds assuring them that
miracle will happen by midnight after they must have paid the
money.lol..so many fake people out there buh some good pastors are still
out there because they tried there best with prayers and fasting not
money. (talking of 200 thousand, 500 thousand naira) as they will run
around to pay for miracles to happen Yet, what was happening kept
happening….
We
moved from one mountain to another as the year went by for miracle with
faith and all the season rains you could name and sun from every year
fell on us chaii. My father is a very strong man who vowed that his
children must talk before he grow old and that we will not be labeled
“deaf and dumb”. people brought so many options and solutions even to
follow traditionally that it might not be normal. My parents went from
one native doctors to the other with cows,goat, chicken worth thousands.
The traditional was even the worst because they made sure that they
dried the pockets of my parents when they knew that they could not help.
chaii…people can be fake!
They put us in school
(normal people’s school) where so many children make gest of us by
calling us “ogbi” which means deaf and dumb in igbo language and allow
us to chase them as it annoys us.buh trust now, we normally beat the
hell out of them…don’t dare the disabled oo Lol..
Buh my
happiness then was that my sweet sisters, parents, cousins, neighbours
and some friends where able to spoil us with happiness and love when
ever we are around them, which made us not to feel bad with our
condition.buh…it hurts.it hurts so much as a kid when you see people
around you do whatever they want to buh you can’t.
To cut
the long story short, we where able to be talking a little by looking at
people’s mouth and hearing loud sounds.We hear our names when you shout
it. We stoped looking for miracles the day we nearly got drown from
flood of rain when we were coming back from night vigil from a church
and the day a doctor told us that we will need to under go a surgery.
What?!! We ran Lol..
My
parents in other hand, took us to “Hope for the deaf and dumb school”
Enugu state where we where able to use signs “talking fingers” to
communicate easily. The signs really helped my so much in themselves of
communication and still helping till today as I feel normal like others.
I went into furniture as I finished my secondary school and vowed not
to beg or do any silly thing to earn a living.
Last year 2014,
when I was already 28 and already thinking of marriage, I told my
parents of me getting married and to a follow disabled like me. Omen!
See cray!
The sound of another deaf coming into our home was like a bomb to my dad’s ear! “Gboom!!!
It wasn’t easy at all, as I had never see my dad in such an angry mood. He said never! Never! Never! Deaf number 3? No way!
I
said Never! Never! too as that’s what will make me happy. Many deaf and
dumb in my school got married to same and they had normal children that
talks like parrot even, I don’t want who will be gossiping about or who
will leave me and run or something….
Fast forward to 8months, thanks to my Sweet sisters who are so
understanding. They encouraged me and were able to convince my dad that I
love the gurl so very much . They also told them that it will be the
source of my happiness.That since it’s what i want i should go for it. I
love them so much(5 of them plus my younger brother).
On 9th
August this year, I got married to my princess whom i dated since
secondary school. The love of my life, my soulmate,the sugar in my tea
Lols…who was able to embrace whom we are together with me( Nneka
Onedibe), who helped in making my marriage a home. She also went to a
catering school as she also vowed not to beg or prostitute or any other
silly things to earn a living.
I thank God for adding her into
my life. We know what we are “the deaf and dumb but we are no more sad
to live.its good to be happy for whom you are.
We
embraced it and we are living since we don’t have money for “hearing
aid” yet buh we trust God that someday we will. Maybe from kind hearted
Nigerians.#Godblessmymarriage
Thanks for reading.