#KidneyTrustFund Your 1000 can save a life

OJB Jezreel was once diagnosed of a kidney failure; a health condition that 1 in every 7 Nigerians is a victim of. Almost every one has a family member or friend or knows someone who is suffering from kidney disease. Using social media, Nigerians rose to the occasion via donations and he was given a second chance at life.

As a way of giving back to society, The OJB foundation is working in collaboration with The Bow Tie Club has launched The Kidney Trust Fund with support from FCMB Plc, Paga, AIICO insurance, Fotolight house, CSL trustees and Vikram Hospital, India to help more Nigerians in the same condition he once was get a second chance at life.

All you have to do is
1. Share this message
2. Follow The Kidney Trust Fund on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
3. Visit www.kidneytrustfund.org and make a donation of N1000.

Donations can be made via the website, paga or direct payments to
CSL TRUSTEES LIMITED/ OJB Foundation
0678691109
FCMB

Your N1000 could save a life!

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Series of scars: Scars of life

If my sisters read this, predictable as they are,they'ld jokenly caption it 'scars of life/destiny. They wont be far from the truth

I've had my own fair share of scars, some from pieces of broken promises (and believe me those (pieces) cut deeper than any surgical blade could). They helped me find a balance between high expectations and low standards, so these days I neither get my hopes up or let my guards down.
In the end we all resort to time, that great healer, to get rid of our scars but I look at the old and wrinkled and realise what a lousy beautician time also is.
Balancing the equation are other more physical scars, hieroglyphics I call them. Quite few in number but each enigma telling a story of its own.

Looking at my certificate and thinking 'I could have done better', then realising how many times i sat blindly through a university lecture or test, not seeing the board clearly, either using the proactive right side of my brain trying to paint a vivid picture of what was being written afar- off or just scribbling word for word from the closest notepad to me.

Also thinking of the enemies i made along the line,who at some point when i was 'seemingly' looking, waved from afar and thought it pride when the gesture wasn't returned.
I wish my opticians were more optimistic, I wish the astgmatism helped change my point of view, I wish these prescribed lenses could help me look on the brighter side and completely heal this scar they labelled 'myopia'

 At times I wonder if the myopia is the real injury and the convex lenses are just the scars, a sign of the slow healing process. I hope, thats all i can do even though my protection from the sun's ultra violet rays is the only noticable difference the lenses bring to the table.

Fools tell me I narrowly escaped albinism, I laugh it off but its probably true, but if I have learnt anything from these scars, its building my confidence to an all time high and not letting these ignorant comments breach that fortress.

Hidden or conspicous, be it a scar from an appendicitis surgery or one from the bottle of acid of a jealous lover, there is a lesson to be learnt the hard way,through the pain barrier.

Tomi akibo says scars are a true testiment to the healing process, I say ''Scars make a man, they are life's tatoos''

Nova

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Series of Scars: A Pro-blogScars

Blogging - Pouring your heart out to readers on an Online Journal about particular subjects that are of interest to you.
Adsense - A Google Advertising program that pays Web publishers for adverts shown on their articles.

Back then when USB Internet Modem was a myth and Laptops were owned only by rich kids - we internet junkies still managed to maintain an online presence by discovering, sharing, using illegal methods and software to bypass mobile network firewalls just to browse for free.

It wasn't until Seun - The owner of Nairaland.com banned all posts about illegal network hacks that most of us saw the internet can be used for so much more than just Yahoo chat.

In 2010, 15,000 Naira was BIG money(it still is) - That was the Goal i set to achieve from google adsense with the launch of a Nairaland Copy (Yes I copied Nairaland), but i soon found my rhythm and style in the Online Publishing Business, this tripled my initial goal and within 1 year, this small boy was receiving Monthly cheques in foreign currency and could afford his best gadgets, an iPhone, Laptop with 24/7 LEGAL internet and an Office!.
Ngbuzz.com was doing good!

The Scar!!!
I'm not writing about your normal Every day scar here.. (with Amala scar as an exception)
This is some Microsoft, Buys Off Facebook, and Google Type scar.. I feel like a version of Mack ZugaBug (Too lazy to google his name) who just lost Facebook..
If this doesn't qualify as a scar in your book, it's probably because i'm not genetically engineered to be as emotional as y'all. Neither do i engage in any form of social or physical activity referred to as "FUN"

Lets cut to the chase, shall we?
Ngbuzz.com is No more!
Why? - because I didn't read the Google adsense terms and condition (properly) - That long text we all scroll past and click AGREE? - who knew it would come back to bite me 2 years later.
Google adsense banned Ngbuzz for containing Adult content (words and images i usually sensored) but when a website ranks highest for the search terms like "Bigbrother Africa shower hour" "Cossy B00bs" it's bound to go down - Blurred images or not.

I Learnt this lesson the hard way and it cost me my monthly cheques which would have been over $500 - The scar is Ngbuzz.com - It stays there reminding me daily of the mistake i made.

Licking my wounds (I hate that expression) i moved on to NgbuzzBlog.com a better Pro-blogger.

--
Soki Briggs
Mozilla Rep - Nigeria
Pro-Blogger - Ngbuzz Blog
Twitter - @Briggz5d

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Scars - Imperfect me

Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you - Aldous Huxley

Don't waste your pain, use it to help others - Rick Warren

Growing up riding a bicycle one can only imagine how much "injury" scars I have, but since I was blessed with a very short memory, I can't remember the story behind all the scars, but some stories you can't just forget why? Because you learnt from them the hard way.

Let's back up a bit what are scars? 

Scars are areas of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound (e.g. after accident, disease, or surgery) results in some degree of scarring.

I would like us to look at wound here as either physical or emotional.

I have 2 physical Scars that I would never forget; One is the Amala Scar, don't laugh yet, here is the behind the scene story...

*flashes back to 3 years ago*

She had stopped taking anything made out of Cassava which automatically means no more Eba, this is not good news for the house Angela (house girl) me, because that's good bye to the quick and easy lunch and welcome Amala.

This faithful afternoon, my mum got back from school and asked me to go make amala for her to eat, as usual I grumbled and dragged my feet to the kitchen and started the process, for those that make amala (Normal one oh) you know its not complete till you put the pot on the floor and turn it right? Still burnt that It was only me they send all the errands, I started turning and what next? I felt the cold then hot sensation on the heel of my right leg, a lump of amala flew out the pot and balanced on my leg, how that happened I don't know, I just know I screamed and what did my mummy say? "When you won't happily do what I ask you to do, go and put cold Ogi" at that moment I got angrier that I got hurt working for her and that's all she could say but later I realised she said the truth.

Amala Scar

Today even if I'm tired and I don't feel like doing certain things I force myself to smile through it.

After she had screamed about it countless times. It only took a lump of hot amala, 1-2weeks of limping and I learnt not to grumble.

Did I mention that I finished making that amala? And my mum ate?

*sigh*

One leg sticking out the gutter, the other in the gutter, me in pain and "sorry, Tomi" in the background gave birth to this scar. It was a narrow gutter which was why both legs couldn’t fit (I was not that tiny), I went to fetch water from our modern day stream when I fell. This scar has always reminded me of that phase of my life I spent in Ife, which by the way wasn't the best, but I learnt

- I learnt that there would always be consequences for your actions

- Learnt about friendship. The good, the bad, the backstabbing and the ugly

- Learnt about dirty old men that try to take advantage of naïve young girls

- Learnt to speak Yourba better

- Learnt to do my laundry

- Learnt to stand up for myself

- This was where I picked up my sharp mouth

- Learnt to be by myself for the first time without my parents

One way or another every scar helps us to be stronger weather Physical Scars or otherwise, we just have to think about the experience and how it has helped us shape who we are today.

When I thought about writing this, the idea came to work with people on this one too, where anybody can send me his/her story about Scars that have helped strengthen You in whatever form, Someone recently told me he has a story but he just doesn't know how to write, so I'm saying here now that this isn't a competition, it’s just to help people learn and I also want to learn from other people's experiences.

I titled it SERIES OF SCARS. This is my public invitation be my guest experience teller, Share your story and if you feel you can't write it, just tell me about it and I will work on it for you, plus if you want to be anonymous that's also very welcome.

If you are interested and you want to share your story, please send a mail to me tomi_akibo@yahoo.com

Please share this post and let's get more experiences.

Thanks a lot.

Love.

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