"I pity this girl. How will she manage herself when her mother is no longer there to support her?" Kate pointed to Mia, who sat outside with her walking stick.
"I heard she's been blind since birth, what a pity", Martha replied.
Mia heard their conversation but didn't feel bad because she had heard worse comments than that from people in their village. Some prayed for her while some made fun of her. In the evening, Mia always strolls around her house to the second street since she has mastered her ways. She had been living with her mother and was blind since birth.
Mia's father divorced her mother because Mia was born blind, he believed all the children coming from the woman would have one defect or the other. Since birth, Mia's mother was all Mia had, not minding her condition, Mia's mother loved and cherished her the most. Mia's mother helped her with basic things that she couldn't do by herself until she grew and mastered some despite her blindness. Mia is now seventeen years old, growing into a beautiful lady but the only defect is her blindness.
"Mami", a name Mia's mother often called her. "What do you have as a plan for the near future?" her mother asked.
"Mom, I wish to become a medical doctor, but would that ever be my reality? I can't treat sick people when I'm blind", Mia said.
"I've told you to stop calling yourself blind, are you losing faith already?", Mia's mother asked passionately.
"No, Mom, I'm just wondering if my dream would ever come true", Mia further said.
"It will, just be patient and remain prayerful", her mother replied with a smile.
Mia's mother serves as her eyes; she always describes every weather for Mia. She would walk round the house, making use of her other senses, such as smell and touch, since she couldn't see.
She continued like that until she clocked eighteen. As usual, she sat outside her house one afternoon, and her mother had left for the market earlier. Mia was singing beautifully with her walking stick held closer to her side when she heard the voice of a woman.
"My child, good afternoon, please, how can I get to the palace?" the strange woman asked.
"Good afternoon, ma, I can only describe, I can't follow you because my mother has to meet me at home, otherwise she will be worried", Mia said as she described how to get to the palace.
"I have been there countless times with the help of my mother", Mia further said with a smile.
"I can see your condition, a happy soul as you are shouldn't be in this kind of dilemma", the woman said.
"I will come back for you, let me get to the palace", the woman said and left.
When Mia's mother returned, Mia narrated all that had happened, but her mother didn't pay attention to it until the woman returned in the evening, requested Mia's mother, and showed her interest in making Mia receive her sight.
Mia's mother agreed, and the woman requested some herbs that Mia's mother ran out to get. The woman began the ritual and performed several prayers that took the night. The next morning, she applied the herbs she had prepared to Mia's eyes and also gave her some to drink. Mia was kept indoors for the day. The next morning, the woman washed up Mia's face and that was the end of Mia's dark days. She now can see that even though she was in shock. Shape came first, then colors, Mia was able to see her mother for the very first time in eighteen years.
This was the beginning of Mia's journey. She prepared herself and sat for an examination which she passed, and traveled to the city to begin her journey as a medical practitioner. She joined an NGO supporting blind people and the less privileged. She makes use of that opportunity to share her story, some listen with tears, while some thought she was just lucky. Mia shared her story of the time before she saw.
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