I FLY: Stories of overcomng adversity Six months ago, the 20 people in newly released anthology I Fly had never met each other but their stories of overcoming adversity will be the common thread that inspires thousands of readers, especially at a time when things seem so overwhelming. Bisi’s story is about overcoming hopelessness, despair and fear as a result of the complex disabilities that her two children were diagnosed with at birth. Her story is about how she navigated her life from surviving to thriving.  The opening of her chapter is certainly attention grabbing! “Please wake up, my waters just popped,” I say with a sense of urgency. My husband Mayor rolls over and rubs his eyes. “Water?” “Water?” “Which water?” he asks. “Look, dear, this is serious,’’ I say, and emphasise pointing to my protruded belly which is fast deflating. He sees the soaking wet towel. “Oh my God, what happened, Bisi?” he asks. “I can’t feel the baby move anymore so we need to ring an ambulance straight away.” “Bisi, Bisi. Why…  Already a best seller in Amazon’s self-development category, I Fly, published by Change Empire, touches on stories of ordinary people who have overcome extraordinary life events. Cathryn Mora, I Fly’s publisher, said "Grief, loss, and pain permeate the lives of us all. Some have endured more than others. Collating and publishing a collection of stories by real people (ie. people who, for the most part, weren’t already authors) who’ve not only survived trauma, tragedy, and adversity, but thrived on the other side,” she said. “I Fly features 20 incredible people from all ages, nationalities, backgrounds, and genders. For many of them, it’s the first time they have shared these stories with anybody except their closest family and friends. For some, not even then.” I Fly was a labour of love, the 20 authors were coached, trained, supported, and encouraged to share their stories with the world.  “I wanted to share my story because a lot of parents suffer emotionally when they are handed that lifelong diagnosis of a disability for their precious baby. They are immediately thrust into special needs parenting without any major manual or guidance. The focus is often on the child but I want parents to see that their own wellbeing translates to the wellbeing of their child. Start a business from home, learn a new skill, or build your career alongside parenting your child. Don’t let anyone tell you that it is impossible because you have a disabled child. All around me, I see the depression and disconnect that is the consequence of repressed emotions surrounding the subject of parenting a child with a disability. And I am on a mission to change that! I want parents to know that a lot of strength also lies within so there is hope and asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness at all,” Bisi said. “It wasn’t easy to write because my story challenges strongly held stereotypes about disabilities, but I hope it’s empowering for everyone who reads it for exactly the same reason!”  Cathryn said what inspired them all was the hope that somebody out there facing the same thing would no longer feel alone. “By sharing stories of pain and adversity, they want to help others not feel so isolated, afraid, and in the dark and to know even in their desperation and darkness, there was hope and light,” she said. “These are true stories written by real people The authors hail from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Africa. Cathryn said the stories are all beautifully, uniquely, different. “When we first collated the stories into one document and I read them through, I cried,” she said. “In fact, I bawled. I cried because of the sheer and overwhelming injustice in the world – how can anyone survive what some of these people have been through? Then I cried for the bravery of these remarkable authors, and how proud I am of this book.”  Writing this chapter was a lifelong dream come true for me,” Bisi explained. “I hope that I have been able to create some awareness about the plight of families with children born with one disability or the other. It is natural to occasionally grieve and that doesn’t mean that you love your child any less. I hope that my story inspires the reader to live their best lives in spite of any challenges they encounter. I wrote about the importance of a support system for parents and the benefits of channelling your energy into loving your child and learning a trade or starting a small business that you can run alongside your parenting duties. Society and statistics will tell you that divorce and depression is common to families with a disabled child, but I want you to know that you are not a number. You can achieve whatever you set your heart to. If I Bisi can do it, you can also do it! www.bisiosundeko.co.uk 
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AuthorHi, my name is Bisi and you are welcome to my personal blog. Archives
July 2020
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