My name is Oluwatoyin
Bode-Abass. I am a Christian a wife and mother. I am a medical doctor.

Determination – I have a
fighting spirit and I do not take no for an answer. I am an optimist realist
and I believe there is always a way out of every situation, we just have to pay
attention, look closely and we will find it. I chose to study medicine and I
fought every step of the way to. I paid my way through medical school taking up
holiday jobs at some point. I am the first doctor ever in my dad and mom’s
lineage. I battled infertility almost eight years and fought to live through
seven surgical procedures. I am a firm believer in giving everyone a fighting
chance.

Faith – I believe in God, the
power in His word and in the supernatural. With the many vicissitudes that I
have lived through, faith in God is the one critical factor that has gotten
from one day to the next. My parents were separated when I was eight, I
suffered sexual abuse for the next two years that followed, I have lived
through abject penury and homelessness. I had to give up my Masters in Public
Health degree for my mom to receive treatment for breast cancer. I have had
seven surgical procedures and suffered severe complications of fertility
treatment. We recently lost our little girl after six difficult months of
pregnancy. My life is a message of hope. It is faith in God that keeps me
going.

Kindness – at every stage in my
life I had always prayed people show me some kindness. Many classmates,
friends, colleagues, neighbours and even family had no idea what I have had to
live through. People were quick to judge, I’ve known rejection most of my life.
I believe we should be compassionate, humane and benevolent towards others and
we never know what each person is going through. We should never make people
feel worse than they already do. Kindness means touching the lives of those we
come across each day. Kindness reminds me that my gifts, talents, fame,
position and wealth should be used in helping the plights of humanity.

My life experiences have
influenced the woman that I have become. They have thought me to be kind,
selfless, giving and compassionate. My life experience have charted the path
that I now walk and because of them I am better able to help others. They have
built character in me, thought me to persevere and never give up. All that I
have lived through ha

Pastor Taiwo Odukoya – he is my
spiritual father and a man that walks his talk. He’s thought me to know Christ
for myself – experientially, not based on what someone says of Him.

Heather Lindsey – she embodies
a Christian wife, mother and entrepreneur. She teaches practical life issues
and there’s always a lesson to learn in every message she shares.

Audrey Joe-Ezigbo – she is a
formidable force in a male dominated industry. She is gentle, calm, loving and
compassionate. She is very knowledgeable and skilled in her sphere of
influence. She gives of herself to the younger women folk – she’s a positive
role model and mentor, she makes herself accessible. She has work with her
husband for over 22 years and is now teaching younger couple’s co-preneurship,
which ultimately is where I desire to be, working alongside my husband.

To be the voice in the national
discourse shaping the future of healthcare in Nigeria. One that shifts the
focus of health from curative to preventive health – disease prevention, health
promotion and maintenance – using a patient- centred approach; one that
empowers individuals take a preventive approach to their health and nutrition thereby
improving public health, ultimately reducing the cost of health care delivery
and improving national and global health indices.

Yes, I have an accountability
partner.

The
problems though numerous are all linked.

My little contributions include
starting a consultancy that empowers individuals to take proactive steps with
their health and nutrition to prevent disease and promote good health. As the
saying goes, health is wealth. Being a positive role model and mentoring
younger women. I am writing a book titled Medicine Miracles Motherhood – it
chronicles my journey of nearly 8 years of infertility. I will be starting a non-profit
for women plagued by infertility to provide information, moral and emotional support
and also funding of fertility treatment for individuals that cannot afford. I
also blog on fitness, health and lifestyle.

Writing, reading, walking,
spending time with my family and traveling.

African women are fearless and
strong. We rise above situations. We are enterprising and go to any length to
provide for and cater to our families. African women are warm and welcoming, we
are very hospitable and build strong bonds. We do not rely on social or welfare
systems, we grind and hustle to excel in all the roles we occupy – wife,
mother, career, vocation, family, relationship, religious and community.

Maternal and child health. With
our underdeveloped health care delivery system in most African countries, women
and children are dying every day from preventable causes. Mostly due to
barriers of accessing care – financial, transportation, lack of education; poor
health care policies; inadequate budgetary allocation for health; lack of
infrastructure; poverty

When you have been through hell
and walked out of the flames, carry buckets of water for those still consumed
by the fire. We have been empowered to empower. Help another woman up, in doing
so you are saving an entire family, a community, a nation and ultimately making
the world a better place.