I wasn't sure if I wanted to write about this period of my life. It has nothing to do with kite surfing, or teaching and is probably one of the most painful periods I've passed through, one which most of us will pass through at least once in our lives.  

    One of the main reasons why I was unhappy in Sri Lanka was because back home, my mom was fighting her own battle against cancer and I felt I had abandoned her by leaving and travelling to Sri Lanka. I won't go into all the details, but over the next year I stayed in Lebanon taking on few photography jobs just to cover my expenses. I gave up my apartment in Beirut and moved into my families home with my mom. It was just the two of because the rest of my family live in Nigeria. We would be between our home and my grandparents place in a small village in the mountains. I would take my mom to the her weekly chemo sessions and watch with a heavy heart as those chemicals and the cancer slowly ate away at her. It is no easy thing to watch a friend or relative go through such treatments and I would spend many hours crying on my own while trying to be strong in front of her and give her courage to fight on. 

She was so much stronger than I had ever imagined she could be but after 5 years and this final last year, her body couldn't fight on anymore. My sister had to leave her family in Nigeria and come to Lebanon to help me look after our mother because I couldn't do it on my own anymore. 

It was a few weeks after that she passed away in her bed with my sister holding one hand and me holding the other as my grandparents and aunt sat helpless and watched.   Rest in peace mom, you gave me to courage to face my fears and go out into the world to make my life.

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                                          My mom, brother, sister and myself on one the happier days together.