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Survival stories of four inspiring female personalities
In the past week, we shared stories of some Ghanaian entrepreneurs proving solutions to their clients and others who continue to leave a mark on the international front.
Today’s edition is a compilation of the stories of four female personalities across the globe who have been through some harrowing moments in their lives but still went ahead to attain their goals regardless of their circumstances. Read on.
Dr Malvika Iyer
At age 13, she accidentally picked up a diffused grenade bomb at her home in Bikaner, Rajasthan that exploded in her hands, blew off both her hands and severely damaged her legs.
There was little hope for her survival when she was taken to the hospital. She was conscious but in terrible pain. Subsequent to surviving that night, she had to undergo surgeries for two years and was bedridden for 18 months.
Against all odds, at age 28, she obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Work from the University of Madras. She also holds a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Social Work from the University of Madras, a Master of Social Work (M.S.W) in Social Work from Delhi University and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College.
Dr Malvika Lyer’s story is one of courage and determination. She has come a long way from surviving a gruesome bomb blast to winning the highest civilian honor from the President of India.
Today, she is an award-winning Disability Rights Activist and International Motivational Speaker — inspiring millions of people to forget their limitations and take on the world with confidence and hope.
Kechi Okwuchi
On December 10, 2005, she was involved in a horrific plane crash in Nigeria that took 107 of the 109 lives on board. She was 16 years old and sustained 3rd degree burns over 65 percent of her body and given a 30 percent chance of survival.
She was air-lifted to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa for immediate medical attention and treatment, and later to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Galveston, Texas in the United States of America (USA), where she has undergone over 100 reconstructive surgeries.
She resumed high school in 2009 and graduated from the University of Saint Thomas with a First Class Degree in Economics in 2015. She got invited into six honour societies, including the International Economics Honour Society.
Today, Kechi Okwchi is a Singer, Songwriter, Inspirational Speaker, Social Impact Advocate and a Published Author of ‘More Than My Scars’.
“I don’t hide behind anything. I don’t hide how I am, how I look from the world. I want people to feel like they can be genuine in any given situation because that’s the way they’re supposed to be. That’s the way to be really happy in this world,” she said.
Zoey Seboe
She was born with a rare skin condition called Lamellar Ichthyosis, which many mistake for burnt marks or eczema. Growing up, her family encouraged her to model, and they would constantly tell her that she was beautiful.
In a society that often has unrealistic standards about what beauty is, she didn’t allow expectations and perceptions to define her.
The inspirational Zoey Seboe was recently announced as one of the 2022 Miss South Africa Top 30 finalists, her skin condition has not stopped her from chasing her dreams and went ahead to study for a Bachelor of Commerce in Law.
“For me, beauty is understanding that simply existing is enough. It is also about embracing your heritage and being unapologetic; simply stepping in as the person you are.”
“With every chance you get, tell yourself that you are beautiful and worth every space you find yourself in. It may take time, but you need to come out and be YOU,” she said.
Winfred Wanjiku Muchiri
Winfred is an inspirational Kenyan DJ born with Cerebral Palsy — a group of permanent disorders that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. In her case, her arm movement was affected.
Dj Wiwa, as she is popularly known, uses her feet and toes to Dj, she started DJing in 2018 and has performed in many gigs ever since.
“I have always loved music, but due to my speech problem, I couldn’t become a singer, and that is why my mom suggested I can make a good DJ. My mother saw my talent before I did. My first time operating a turntable wasn’t easy as I used my feet and toes, and I almost gave up, but my mom couldn’t let me,“ she said.In 2019, she, unfortunately, lost her mother who had always been a shoulder for her to lean on.
Against all odds, Dj Wiwa continues to be an inspiration to a lot of people, and she always makes it a point to put on a good show wherever she is booked to perform.
Additional files from women power Africa
By Spectator Reporter
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
