Meet Adejoke Ejiofor

We recently connected with Adejoke Ejiofor and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Adejoke, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I found my purpose through the experience that life threw at me. I  watched my son for years go through Sickle Cell Pain. He also had to go through  bone marrow transplant, a procedure that usually comes with a lot of complications. With encouragement and support from family and friends, with determination and courage, he was able to overcome the challenges. In life, people have different life experiences and some experiences can drive one’s passion towards particular goals or purpose.Having witnessed my son’s experience and the role that encouragement and support played in his recuperation, I understood how a little bit of motivation can contribute to the well-being of anyone going through life’s difficulties and, I have made it my purpose to inspire and motivate others out there through my non-profit organization, My African American World. My award winning book “Travel bravely is an inspirational book; a product of my Non- Profit/advocacy initiative.

According to Steve Jobs, “If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”

The desire to help alleviate and ultimately put an end to the pain that comes with living with sickle cell disease has been the driving force for my Sickle Cell Advocacy and my vision for My African American World. It has become my purpose.

I knew I had found my purpose when I felt joy after encouraging people out there and bringing smiles to their faces.

I knew I had found my purpose when I stood by my son as he went through his journey with sickle cell disease telling him not to give up. My son winning the battle with the disease was a testament of how encouragement can contribute to determination and the will to survive.

I love Jay-Z’s quote that says “I will not lose, for even in defeat, there’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me.” Failing is an opportunity to try again with more experience. My son had to go through the bone marrow transplant twice. If he had given up with the first transplant he would have missed out on the opportunity to succeed.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am the founder of My African American World. As I mentioned earlier, I am an award winning author of the book Travel Bravely. I started My African American World with a goal of spreading word about sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is an inherited form of red blood disorder that can cause a lot of pain and difficulties and it can affect anyone regardless of race, color or ethnicity.

My African American World is a Non-Profit organization with a mission to educate and create awareness of sickle cell disease and drive for better support for the sickle cell community. The impact of sickle cell disease on the body can be very challenging. Chronic or constant pain and fatigue is what people living with sickle cell disease experience almost on a daily basis. Other complications of sickle cell disease amongst others include anemia, infection, dactylitis which is severe swelling of the hand or foot, acute chest syndrome, blindness, stroke and it could even become fatal.

Through My African American World, I have been able to provide support by providing sickle cell educational materials at events. I have hosted events with the goal of creating awareness to the devastating effect of sickle cell disease and the importance of knowing one’s genotype. I have donated books about  Sickle cell disease to create awareness in Africa. I have provided meals to families in the hospital. I have also provided educational as well as inspirational content on social media.

Life can be a continuous battle and multiple challenges. Some people battle deadly diseases and others go through emotional and mental breakdown. Some feel hopeless and overwhelmed by situations around them. I have been in similar situations feeling helpless not knowing how to deal with the challenges that I was faced with. One thing I’ve come to realize is that it is not over until it is over. Giving up might look like the easier option but not giving up means you still have a chance to experience the joy of overcoming. There were times when my son cried in my arms while he went through the pains of radiation and chemotherapy. I remember telling him how much I love him, how much his father loves him and how much his sibling loves him. I told him  he has to keep fighting. He fought like a warrior and even though it was a very painful experience, with determination and encouragement, with a mindset of “I won’t Give Up” he was able to defeat sickle cell disease.

My African American World has provided inspirational talks at events and partners with other Non- Profit organizations to bring about positive changes in the society.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Three qualities that have had great impact on my advocacy journey include, my continued effort to increase my knowledge of sickle cell disease, making use of my writing skills and having a positive mindset.

When I discovered that my son had sickle cell disease, although devastated, I knew I needed to be strong and find out more information about the disease. I needed to develop my knowledge of the disease so I can understand what the triggers are to help my son manage the disease and so that  I could ultimately find a way to defeat the disease.

I grew up in Nigeria, a country that has one of the largest population of people living with sickle cell disease. I didn’t really think much about the disease until it actually hit close to home..

With my son’s diagnosis, I read books, I did online searches on almost everything related to sickle cell disease. I increased my understanding of the disease. I found out that extreme heat or extreme cold can trigger a pain crisis so I was careful with choices of clothes for my son. I understood that he needed a lot of fluid and I made sure he was always hydrated. These are a few of the many steps that I took to try and keep the disease under control.

The knowledge that I acquired over the years taking care of my son has equipped me with the ability to educate others out there about the disease and provide support.

Writing has always been my passion and Travel Bravely” was born to advance my advocacy effort. The award-winning book “Travel Bravely” is the product of my effort to create awareness of sickle cell disease and also inspire someone out there going through a difficult situation. I wrote the book, travel bravely to share my son’s experiences with sickle cell disease and share a message of hope that regardless of what you’re going through, it’s possible to overcome.

Travel Bravely is a non-fiction book that won a 2022 nautilus book award. It is inspirational and gives some insight to what sickle cell disease is and what it takes to go through a bone marrow transplant. The book narrates how a family, faced with the challenges of sickle cell disease, traveled with determination and strong optimism to find their success.

Having a positive mindset is very important in any advocacy or venture. Believing that everything will work out well even with the obstacles all around. Believing in the glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. My advocacy is focused on helping to drive for better support for the Sickle Cell Community. Creating awareness so people are able to take positive actions. I look forward to a future where there’s a viable cure for sickle cell disease. A cure that is available to all and affordable. Ultimately, I look forward to a future without sickle cell disease. I believe that with continuous creation of awareness of sickle cell disease and education; with more voices speaking up for improved healthcare and equity; I believe that we can work together to find a better cure and also put an end to the sickle cell cycle.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I just breathe…I take a step back and breathe. Also, my faith has been my cornerstone.I believe in God and I read the bible a lot. A bible verse I rely on when faced with difficulties is  Philipians 4:6-7 -that says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” My faith has always been my go-to. I’ve learnt to trust God that he is more than able to see me through whatever difficult situation that I’m going through so I cast all the burdens on him.

I listen to inspirational music. Yes! I love music. Music can be very soothing when you need to calm your nerves and unburden your emotions. Music is a very good healing therapy. A lot of hospitals in our contemporary society make use of music therapists to provide soothing music to help their patients manage their pain with less medication and also reduce depression.

So when life’s situation gets overwhelming these are things you can do to alleviate the burden.. Faith can help you cope with stressful situations. Music can be therapeutic. Me-Time can help you unwind.

You can also talk to loved ones. Bottling things up can be stressful. Sometimes opening up to your loved ones about what you’re going through could be the pathway to getting the help that you need. No one person knows it all. When you share your troubles, you are able to get ideas from others and you might even find a solution to your problem.

Life is a journey. Whatever path you’re traveling, travel with determination and great optimism. if it’s not ended, then there’s still a chance for you to succeed. There’s still a possibility that your story can change. When there is life, there is hope.

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