Crystal Chigbu … Resting So Others Can Rest.

I am Crystal Olasunmbo Chigbu, I am the 10^th child from a family of 10, but grew up as an “independent” dependant as I was the only child that went to a boarding school in my family. I got married to Azubuike Chigbu nearly 7 years ago and have been blessed with two children though I am a mother to 5. I studied Biochemistry at the University of Lagos.

I currently work as a manager at one of the top FMCG companies in Nigeria. I love meeting people, sharing in their challenges as much as God would permit and working with them to find solutions where possible. I am originally Yoruba; married to an Ngwa Man I can confidently say I am an Ibo woman …. (Big smile). Before I continue I must say I am married to the best of the best ….and we have been on this journey now for the last 7 years … I also double as the CEO/ Founder The IREDE Foundation (TIF), founded about 3 years ago to help bring joy and hope to children living with limb deformities and amputation.

Our Vision is to raise ‘Every child a champion living without the limitations of missing limbs’. Beulah is our first child (I/we) never had any child before her, but now she has a younger brother Eden. The bigger girls Deborah, Oyinlola and Oyinkansola came into our home after Beulah by God’s ordination.

A year and 17 days after we got married we gave birth to the bundle of Joy, Beulah Ireoluwade Chinemerem ….. Like every other mother I was expectant, excited and just couldn’t wait to behold the beauty of God in our Child …. I looked forward to breastfeeding and being called a mother … I would sometimes think of how I would bath and care for the baby. I got to know about the missing bone in my daughter’s leg about 4 hours after I had her.

Much later I got to know her case was called TIBIA HEMIMELIA; which is missing tibia and patella (knee cap) of her right leg. Tibia Hemimelia is an uncommon condition which medical reports has very few records of in more than a million births.

In most cases it is genetic … We have looked into both families and no one has ever had this condition. I just could not place my hands on what could have caused it neither could any of the doctors both in Nigeria … all they could say was that it was an “happenstance”. Tibia hemimelia is so rare that its cause has not been identified. Initially I wasn’t worried; as a matter of fact I felt okay but then that was because I did not know how severe it was as the doctor had initially mistaken her case for (club foot) and had assured us that it was not a big deal but that it would be resolved as soon as we see the Specialist. About 10 hours later the Specialist came and gave a hint about the severity of the case … that was when I started to panic.

By the sixth day we went for an x-ray and also saw another consultant who told us that the only solution was for us to amputate that leg.  At that point the “flood gates opened” and I honestly asked God why? After that news, I cried every day till we amputated Beulah’s leg twenty seven months later.

I kept wishing it was a bad dream I would wake up from but my husband who was a bit calmer even though I could tell how deeply hurting he was, kept telling me God says he would take care of her… When Zubby told me God will take care of her, I asked myself what does that mean. For me taking care of her meant that the limb will grow back! Since I knew my husband is a child of God and hears God I believed God spoke to him … but I just couldn’t see it … I needed to see my daughter’s leg grow back, but obviously God had other designs.

By the Grace of God, we are believers and believe God’s word is final and has the solution to everything.  We love the Lord and we had seen Him come through in so many ways and on different things prior to this, so we naturally, went back to Him to draw strength for that which we didn’t understand and trust Him regarding our daughter.  And as it is His manner with us, He came through also in Beulah’s case; even though it wasn’t in the way we wanted.

I prayed for God to heal my daughter, cause her limb to grow back. I reminded myself of the man at the pool of Bethesda… I just wanted a daughter with her real legs. That was my daily prayer, until a friend asked me if I would take it if medical science was the miracle I was asking God for. Even then I discarded the thought and considered the suggestion a ‘seed of unbelief’ that needed to be thrown aside like a pack of cards. I was not going to waiver in “Faith” that God would heal Beulah and to some extent I think my husband still holds to that hope… (Nothing is too hard for God to do).

After being told that our only option was to amputate like I mentioned; it took us two years and three months deciding to amputate. We had initially wanted to amputate when she was about 15 months however we decided against it. There were so many reasons we chose not to go ahead with the amputation at 15 months. First the hospital went on strike, then the strike was called off and Beulah’s folder was missing. For us that was like God asking us not to go ahead. Much later I /we got to know that we were been prepared for what was ahead of us. While we waited all of the days and months, we prayed and studied the word, went for healing meetings…. We waited.

We also did a lot of research on the condition, went to hospitals both within and outside of the country to ensure we had explored all options (just in case a remote chance for saving the leg existed). At this point my consideration for medical science as an answer was going to be a breakthrough surgery that grafted a bone or something.

Alas, I found that nothing can be created in the human body without the maker and giver of Life.

As we had been told. …. As we got the reports that we needed to amputate confirming what we had earlier been told, we just kept praying and believing God for a healing. I thank God for our family and support system. Once you have people around you who can stand and believe God with you, it can go a long way in helping and holding you together. The report about the amputation brought my husband and I closer as we had to pray and search what the scriptures said concerning our daughter and our future together.

We became closer friends as we waited on the fulfilment of all the promises God gave to us … we also had to learn to manage our time because one of us had to be home per time to be with Beulah . Our extended family also came around to spend time with us seeking different solutions and we trusted God together.

Interestingly, our relationship with God got stronger because our hearts were stayed on Him, we knew the solution we needed was in Him with our eyes fixed on the promise He gave us; that He will take care of Beulah.

Three years into the amputation, I take a look at my daughter Beulah and rather than see someone who has been dealt a raw deal, I see THE REAL DEAL( lol). I see a young and strong woman in the making who God has given a very unique life and story to inspire and let others see His glory.

I honestly do not see her  amputated a lot of times , nothing reminds me of her being an amputee except when her leg is due for a change and she talks about it. She’s such a blessed child doing well in her academics and social activities. Through it all, God has been and still remains our anchor.  When I tell people that He saw us through it all; it is important to me that it is not a cliché statement for me.  It is because I know He is. His promise to us was that He said he will take care of her, and in the last three years I have experienced God taking care of not just Beulah but everyone of us.

Beulah’s amputation has put us in the faces of people and helped us experience the joy of salvation as we share our salvation with many through our lives. We had the opportunity to tell everyone about Jesus even when they didn’t want or expect to hear about Jesus.  We tell them Jesus is the reason we could survive the pain and trauma. I am not sure how we could have fared without Jesus. Beulah’s case tested us sorely and my husband would always say, “I believe in miracles” and God has been the miracle for us.

Our faith is all that we have, Beulah’s prosthesis is not paid for by the foundation but every year, the God who promised to take care of her provides for us to get her prosthetic limb. There are days when for some reason or other she asks questions on why she cannot have a leg like her brother’s or she is not allowed to compete in a sprint in school? We look to the Lord for the wisdom to answer her and also comfort the ache that stabs the heart at being unable to just wave a hand and make a new leg appear.

Do I have any fears or worry about her future?  Of course I am her mother and I worry.  I worry mostly not because she is an amputee but because mothers worry. I worry for my other children too; so yes, I worry.  However, there are those rare times when I worry because she is an amputee, and when I catch myself doing that I quickly remind myself not to be anxious and I turn the worries into a time of talking to God. Those times give me the opportunity to tell him the way I feel and I am reminded that He will take care of her. I sometimes also remind myself of amputees that are living life to the fullest, sometimes it’s the foundation and the children that have been touched that inspire me and refocus me on the good that God has wrought by this experience.

I believe messages and assignments are birth out of experiences and things we have been through. The IREDE Foundation was born out of our experience with Beulah.

The foundation takes care of children living with limb loss either as a result of congenital issues or those amputated as part of life’s tragedies. Seeing another child take steps for the first time or have their motor skills restored by the use of a Prosthetic aid never ceases to thrill my heart. That sense of gratitude for having the ability to is incomprehensible and that sense is part of what gives us the drive at the Foundation TIF steps in for amputee children who are indigent and provide them with artificial limbs.

It also educates the society and encourages child amputees’ and their families with mentoring/coping guidance. IREDE is gotten from IREOLUWADE which means the goodness of the Lord has come. Ireoluwade is Beulah’s Yoruba name and since the foundation was born out of what we experienced with her …we thought it best to call the Foundation by her name Out of the generosity of our Trustees and network of friends who faithfully keep their pledge of financial support monthly, the foundation is able to run its activities. We have also had corporate sponsors who have keyed into our support initiative to undertake the funding of limbs for specific children. We call this process “Adopt a Child” Every child amputee qualifies for support from the foundation however on different schemes.

Our support is available in three ways; first, Education; which is not for the amputees alone but for the general public on amputation.  Second, Encouragement; which is available to all amputees , parents and care givers; you can also call this a support system that reaches out to all amputees and thirdly, Empowerment which provides prosthetic aids ( artificial limbs) for the children whose parent cannot afford to provide prosthesis for them and also mentoring sessions for all child amputees .

We can be reached through our website www.theiredefoundation.org or email: info@theiredefoundation.org; twitter handle: @theirede; on facebook: www.facebook.com/theiredefoundation

We also rely on the goodwill of the media and entities like Effectual magazine to help in sensitisation by putting our story and contact out to donors who might be willing to assist an amputee child. We have also had friends organise fund raising events/open houses for the purpose creating awareness to expand our network of partners.

If I had the opportunity to do life over; I will simply take out worry … Every form of it and leave me with the word of God.  This is informed by my learning through this experience.  I found that the times I worried didn’t change anything. The only time we experienced peace and could move forward was when we focused on the Word.  That is why if I could do it all over; I will take out worry and stick with the Word of God.

Rest to me means peace through it all … I tell people that in the last five (5) years of my life God has brought me a lot of joy.  It is amazing!

What looked like it was going to be the end of the road in the beginning God has taken over and used to grant us such significance in His call for us and  every step of the way He shows up, I see how the scripture that says what the enemy meant for evil God uses for our good plays out.

Knowing He is with us every step gives me a REST that no one can understand except they have tasted God for themselves. Though I sometimes get worried, I am assured of His promise that he will take care of ALL that concerns me. There is Peace all around me … You will hardly know Beulah uses an artificial Leg, she does everything any other Child can do. She swims, dances, jumps … just name it. Crystal in 10 years… I would like to have fully delved into the mountain of Family and Education having a resource centre that caters for families and children.

It is my prayer and hope that in ten years IREDE Foundation will have attained the status of the voice for amputees in Africa. My Last word for now… Disability is a thing of the mind … There is no dream you can’t achieve and do not ever be limited by what you feel or see…Keep the dream of a beautiful future for you, your children and your family in front of you always!

Teach your child that there is nothing special or limiting in them. Despite what life hands over to you, keep keeping at it and may God give you REST.