She always had a passion for writing, so the universe gave her a story to tell…
Before it all began, Kara was full of smiles and could brighten up a gloomy room. She grew up with admirable siblings and lovely parents; being the last child, she was pampered a lot and practically had everything handed to her with ease. She got all the perks of being the last child, but much as she was pampered, she was also reprimanded whenever she misbehaved. Thus, being a spoiled brat was not in the picture. She had a normal and fortuitous childhood with big expectations and aspirations and was never circumscribed in her thoughts.
She was fresh out of high school with amazing grades and a vision of a bright future. Although she was not quite sure of the paths to take, she certainly knew a path must be trodden. She did not have the slightest idea what could befall her. She never had a clue about the bad side of life or the idea that life could be unpredictable. Furthermore, she was always optimistic in her dealings with people, and she paddled easily through circumstances, except when she had severe migraines.
That migraine malady had been existing as far as she could remember. Frequently, she joked about it being a congenital condition. But even so, it never stopped her from reading, working, or doing whatever else she wanted to do.
After graduating from high school, Kara thought of what else to do. Should she go for further studies or choose acting or modeling as a career because of her beauty? At the time, she was desirous of being either a model or an actress. However, she also knew that her parents would not welcome the idea. She ought to live up to the standard of being a teacher's daughter. Being a respected teacher, her mother would object to the acting or modeling idea instantly. The thought of how her parents would take it discouraged her. She had to focus on what she felt was obtainable by studying hard to get into a faculty of Medicine. Perhaps, after graduating from the university, she would entertain the idea again. Already, she had sat for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations. Her results were excellent, making her look forward to the Post-University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (POST-UME) at the university she had chosen—the University of Excellence, Ataka. Because of her desire to stay near home, she decided not to study in a school far away; she wanted a school in the same state where she resided— a school in Eruwe State or close to it.
She had always wanted to be a medical doctor. It was the only profession she could see herself practicing because of her desire to save people's lives and her love for humanity. Everything she did was for her future.
Sadly, on the verge of moving forward to another level after high school, the first stroke came.
One breezy morning, she got up and did her regular chores. She took a bath afterward. Sometime later, she was in front of her mirror, staring at the fitting dress she wore and admiring her exquisite figure. She stood there, rubbing cream all over her body, from her face down to her toes in a rhythmic pattern, distant music wafting through the windows from another compound. As her hand stroked past her chest, she noticed some rashes there. She took herself nearer to the mirror for a closer examination. One minute of staring at it yielded no clues as to why it was there. She got an ointment and rubbed it on the rashes. Then, she went downstairs to have breakfast and watch television for a while. She totally forgot she had rashes on her chest. After a few hours of watching television, she decided to go back to her room for a little nap.
She lay on her bed, surfing the net with her phone for an hour. Then, she dozed off, easing into a merry sleep for some hours. When she finally got up from the nap, she felt a bothersome itch around her tummy, which persisted even after several minutes of scratching the area. The itching was so persistent that she ran to the mirror again and noticed that the rashes had spread tremendously from her chest down to her navel. She panicked and ran to her mum's room.
Her mother, Mrs. Sarah Nwachi, was busy reading when she ran in.
"Mum! My body is itching," she screamed, "…and look at these rashes!"
"Kara," her mother said her name, puzzled. She inspected her body, lost for words. Then, she asked, "When did this start? Does it hurt? What did you rub, Nne?"
Kara was so confused that she did not reply at first. She could only look at herself some more and then look up at her mother in horror, "Mum, I noticed it this morning. I am scared."
To stop the itching and the rashes from spreading, they tried all the home remedies they knew, but the condition kept worsening.
The next day, they went to the hospital, ran some tests, and got some drugs, but their efforts were futile. Within a few days, the rashes had spread all over her body, sparing her face. They left noticeable black spots on her body, making her look like a leopard. She was so furious. She could not believe that something like that could happen to her. HER!
Not only that, but she had no account of how it came to be. Nobody knew what it was, not even the doctors. A piece of her flesh was cut out and sent to a foreign laboratory, where it was examined. They could not figure out what it was either. At that moment, it seemed just as if her dream of being a model or an actress had ended.
She became depressed and introverted all of a sudden.