Among the many struggles that Akadiri Opeyemi, a hearing-impaired entrepreneur endured on her journey to self-actualisation was overcoming low self-esteem, depression and suicide ideation. In this interview with TEMITOPE ADETUNJI, the 28-year-old reflects on when measles stole her hearing in childhood, and how she overcame and transformed life’s hurdles into a source of inspiration for others What was growing up like for you? I am from Akoko in Ondo State. Growing up was significantly challenging because the love my parents had for me started diminishing when I developed hearing issues.
Were you born with a hearing impairment? No. I had measles at the age of seven and the illness lasted for about a year before I fully recovered. I was covered with chickenpox from head to toe.
I can vividly recall people referring to me as a ghost any time my mother applied calamine lotion all over my body. At the time, we lived in a rented apartment in Akure. My hearing issues became full-blown during my second term in JSS1, in 2006.
I couldn’t accept my new reality then, and it caused deep pain in my heart. Sometimes I can hear when someone is speaking, especially if their voice is very loud. At other times, I won’t hear anything at all, but I found some comfort in knowing that the sound is still faintly there.
My eyes were also affected after I recovered from the ailment. I now wear prescription glasses because I became shortsighted and started having blurry vision. I started moving c.