'My dream na to become beauty queen even as I dey blind'

One thing na to dream and anoda na to work hard for di dream to come true one day. Favour Rufus wey dey visually impaired get dream of becoming a beauty queen/model one day. She work hard to fulfill her dream by contesting alongside oda 18 beautiful women for one of di biggest state pageant for Nigeria, di Miss Port Harcourt City beauty pageant. And now she be di current Miss Portharcourt City Humanity 2022. Favour na di 2nd runner up but according to di organizers of di pageant, di second and third position dey get title and dem no dey refer to dem as 1st or 2nd runnner up. "Plenti pipo bin discourage me not to contest, most of dem na even family members ," Favour Rufus tell BBC Pidgin. "Some even tell me say dis one wey you no dey see so, no go carry your cane take flog di MC for stage oh." Di current Miss Portharcourt City Humanity 2022 say her mama na one of di pipo wey support her but at first her mama shock wey she inform her about di plan to contest. 'I ginger mysef to make a difference' Favour say she bin get small fear for mind wen di organizers call her to compete afta she bin apply to partictipate for di beauty pageant. "I bin dey wonder weda di organizers go really accept me or along di line dem fit just tire say dem no fit continue, make I go back house." But with encouragement from di organizers and odas, Favour come ginger hersef to compete, win and make a difference plus break history. Her believe be say in disability, ablility dey. "We all get disability, weda na financial, physical, marital or otherwise all na disability. "But still, make you know say you fit change di narrative and make di impossible possible. Favour say pipo dey look down on those wey dey virtully impaired say dem no dey capable to contest for beauty pageant but she wan show dem say ablility dey for disability. 'How I take lost my sight' At age seven, doctor diagnosed Favour with glaucoma and since then she neva give up on her dreams. "I bin dey 7- 8 years wen we hear from doctor mouth say I don loss one eye." "But di whole thing start for age 6 but as small pikin I no understand am at all , e be like say I no dey see things." Favour say na one of teacher notice her eye palava afta di tin affect her performance for school. Di teacher come advise her mama to take her to eye clinic where doctor break di sad news to dem. "Na from di clinic doctor say e don dey too late and I don loss my left eye." "Doctor say di only thing wey remain na right eye to manage my life and even di right eye, if dem no continue to buy my eye drop. E go just quench like candle." Her mam come send her go rehabilitation center called TLEC rehabilitation center at age 15. From dia she learnt how to read and write in braille, plus operate computer and acquires oda skills and talents. She also further her education to secondary level. Favour say currently her right eye dey extremely blurry and she dey depend only on di mobility training wey she get from rehabilitation. 'My mama no abandon me' Favour share with BBC Pidgin where she dey get her inspiration. She say na from her mama wey stay with her wen her papa waka leave her. "Where I dey draw my inspiration from wey dey make me push till now not to give up, na especially form my mama." "She no ever leave me or abadon me even as my papa don waka leave me. She no gree oh, she stand say na me and you till di end, she no go leave my side "Even wen pipo dey make fun of me, my mother go do am to pain dem, flip my hair and do shakara." Di young Miss Portharcourt City Humanity 2022 advise pipo on how dem fit overcome dia fears basde on di lesson wey she don learn from life. "Most of di things wey we dey face we dey let am weigh us down because we allow am." "if you wan overcome fear e no dey hard, e start from inside your heart, wen you overcome am dia nothing go weigh you down" she tok. Wetin be glaucoma? Glaucoma na one group of eye condition wey dey damage di optic nerve. Di optic nerve naim dey send visual informate from your eye to your brain and e dey vital for good vision. Damage to di optic nerve dey often related to high pressure for your eye. But glaucoma fit happen even with normal eye pressure. Glaucoma fit occur at any age but e dey more common in older adults. Na one of di leading causes of blindness for pipo over di age of 60. Many forms of glaucoma no dey give warning signs. Di effect dey so gradual so tey you fit no notice any change in vision until di condition don enter later stages. E dey important to dey do regular eye exams wey include measurements of your eye pressure. If dem discover glaucoma early, vision loss fit dey slowed or prevented. If you come get glaucoma, you go need treatment or monitoring for di rest of your life.