A Nigerian man who discovered his mother was a hospital cleaner and decided to pursue his ambition of becoming a doctor makes her proud.
AFRICA | Darlington Okoduwa, a resolute Nigerian, has earned a Medicine and Surgery degree (MBBS) from Ambrose Alli University in Nigeria, fulfilling a boyhood vow to his mother.
Darlington always thought his mother was a nurse when he was growing up. She frequently shared basic medical information with neighbors and occasionally suggested common medications while working at the general hospital in their hometown every morning.
Until Darlington became ill one fateful day. His mother brought him to the hospital where she worked after noticing that he was not improving despite taking medication. His mother was scrubbing the hospital floors when he woke up from his treatment, which was an unexpected sight.
I was shocked to see my mother cleaning the floor. I was astonished to learn that my mother works as a janitor and cleaner. I yelled, “Why do you have to lie to me that you’re a nurse?” as tears streamed down my face.
His mother, however, calmly said, “Son, you will not understand.” “Stop crying, I’m at work,” she replied as she gave me a hug.
Young Darlington made a commitment to obtaining the top degree in the hospital system after that day. He assured his mother that he would become a medical doctor in addition to a nurse. His mother reminded him that she couldn’t afford it, but she still supported his choice.
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After high school, Darlington enrolled to a Medicine and Surgery program in order to fulfill his promise, but he was turned down time and time again. He was passionate about painting and art, yet he persisted.
He wrote the JAMB exam four times over the four years he became a regular candidate. “I was Jamb’s best customer, but I had to wait four years to be admitted into medicine and surgery, even though I was given other courses to study,” he stated.
Darlington was eventually accepted into the MBBS program at Ambrose Alli University after four attempts.
He had no idea how difficult medical school would be. It was intellectually and physically taxing to juggle his love of painting with the demanding requirements of medicine.
Combining creativity and the arts with medicine proved difficult. My studies lasted more than nine years because of the strikes, the COVID pandemic, and academic delays. “It was like going to jail,” Darlington remarked.
Darlington, however, never gave up. He frequently used a quotation that became his mantra to inspire himself. “Medicine is the art of saving lives, and art is life.”
Darlington became a medical doctor after nine years of hardship. Every sacrifice was justified by the pride on his mother’s face when she saw him wearing his white coat.
Now, Darlington hopes that his tale may encourage others to keep going in the face of adversity.
“You may not have had a happy beginning to your tale, but that doesn’t define who you are.
It is who you decide to be and the remainder of your story. You are who you are because of that,” he replied.
