Against All Odds: Men and Women Who Turned Adversities to Opportunities

By Ola Aboderin

You never know how strong you are until you rouse the champion in you!
AGAINST ALL ODDS is a collection of real-life stories of men and women, who through determination, perseverance, positive thinking and faith in God, turned adversities that should have made them nonentities to opportunities that made them celebrities
In Against All Odds, youll discover, among other riveting narratives, how
George Washington Carver overcame chronic disease, deprivation, and discrimination to become a remarkable scientist and renowned inventor;
Elizabeth Blackwell rose above gender bias and fierce opposition to become the first woman to earn a degree in medicine;
Abraham Lincoln became a celebrated lawyer, legislator, and president despite his prolonged battle with depression, defeat, and distress;
Fanny Crosby, the blind girl from a backwater town, became the most prolific hymn writer in history;
Harriet Tubman overcame the horrors of a turbulent and traumatic childhood to liberate herself from the bondage of slavery and helped to rescue many other slaves from the captivity of their cruel masters; Ben Carson successfully battled mediocrity and low self-esteem to change his reputation from being the dumbest student in the class to being one of the most brilliant doctors in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Jun 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496978622

Ola Aboderin

Ola Aboderin is a prolific writer and seasoned speaker. He has written and edited several life-changing articles for religious, health and motivational publications. He was, for some years, editor of the popular Christian Women Mirror magazine. Having survived a very rough childhood and a few other challenges, he has become a source of inspiration to many young men and women through his lectures and writings.

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© 2014 Ola Aboderin. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 06/06/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7861-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7860-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-7862-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014909065

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter One GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER

The Sickly Orphan Who Turned Peanuts to Goldnuts

Chapter Two ELIZABETH BLACKWELL

What A Man Can Do, Elizabeth Can Do Better!

Chapter Three ABRAHAM LINCOLN

A Survivor like No Other

Chapter Four FRANCES JANE CROSBY

Disability Is Not Inability!

Chapter Five GENERAL HARRIET TUBMAN

The Moses of Her People

Chapter Six SONYA and BENJAMIN CARSON

A Dropout Helps a Dummy Become a Distinguished Doctor

References

Dedication

To Annabel, my supergirl.

Acknowledgements

F oremost appreciation to the Almighty God, who supplied the inspiration, direction and resources to begin and complete this book.

I’m deeply grateful to Femi Aboderin and Esther Oyewande. Your persistent prodding and prayers greatly helped to ensure the fulfilment of this dream.

I appreciate the efforts of Opeyemi Ajisebutu (the first to read and comment on the manuscript), Dorcas Egede, Ruth George, Lukeman Olayiwola and Nelson Okwonna. Your editorial, moral and creative contributions added beauty to this venture.

To Grace Yap, Valerie Raines, Liza Brown, Merly Delicano, Harsel Jay and the rest of the team at AuthorHouse, thank you so much for your wonderful support and guidance throughout the publishing process of this book.

Lastly, I must admit that no expressions can fully convey the depths of my gratitude to my love and queen, the adorable Jenny Aboderin, for being a tremendous pillar of strength and support in all my undertakings, and especially in the writing, editing and publishing of this book. You’re truly an exceptional helpmeet!

Preface

I t was mentioned in the previous volume that there would be a sequel that would focus on detailed biographies of some great men and women who did extraordinary exploits in the face of intimidating challenges. This is the fulfilment of that promise.

From the first chapter to the last, this volume gives comprehensive narration of the life’s journeys of some of the greatest achievers of our time. You may have been familiar with some of these people. But there’s so much more about them than you already know. You will definitely be enthralled as you discover these previously unknown details.

Moreover, each of the stories was painstakingly researched; hence, the entire collection pulsates with fresh perspectives, exciting presentations and convincing quotations. Beyond the wealth of insight and inspiration garnered from the first publication, this volume is sure to help you navigate your way through the ocean of life’s challenges as you imbibe the mentality and attitude of the champions discussed in it.

Chapter One

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER

George%20Carver.jpg

The Sickly Orphan Who Turned Peanuts to Goldnuts

"He could have added fortune to fame but caring for neither,

he found happiness and honour in being helpful to the world."

(Epitaph on George Washington Carver’s grave)

W hen George Washington Carver was born towards the end of the American Civil War (1861-1865) ** in Diamond Grove, Missouri, he seemed to have been destined for a life of pain and suffering. He was a scrawny little child with little or no hope of survival. Worse still, he was born of indigent slave parents.

Shortly after his birth, George’s father was killed when he fell under the wheels of an ox-wagon while hauling wood. Thus, he, his elder sister and his elder brother (James) were left in the care of Mary, their young mother.

But that was just the beginning of his struggles. On a fateful night, members of a slave-raiding group raided the plantation on which Mary worked. The owners of the plantation—Moses and Susan Carver—had spotted the raiders when they were coming and had quickly hidden James in the woods. But before they could get to where Mary and her two other children were, the raiders had already kidnapped them.

The Carvers sought the help of a neighbour, John Bentley, to help track down the kidnappers and bring back their captives. Mr. Bentley agreed; but his efforts weren’t so fruitful. He found little George but could not find his mother and sister. They had probably died (as some reports have it) or been sold to some other slave owners. That was the last that was heard of Mary and her daughter.

While away, George had contacted whooping cough and high fever. Since the Carvers had no child of their own, they lovingly cared for the baby and nursed him back to health. But George remained small and frail for most of his childhood. My body was very feeble, he recalled, and it was a constant warfare between life and death to see who would gain the mastery.

Following the abolition of slavery, Moses and Susan Carver continued to raise George and his brother as their children. They were generously affectionate to the brothers; so much that they (the children) grew up to know them as Uncle Moses and Aunt Sue.

Feeble but Useful

As he grew older, George could not do much farm work because of his frail health. Moreover, the family doctor had predicted he would die before the age of 21. So, while his brother helped the very successful and well-respected Carvers with field work, George simply helped Mrs. Carver with domestic duties (cooking, cleaning and laundry) and gardening.

This was an unusual thing for a male child. But rather than feel inferior, George simply decided to make the best of his situation. He developed a deep interest in the plants he was tending and paid careful attention to them. He took time to observe the conditions that made plants flourish and those responsible for their ailments. He soon became so skilful in his gardening duties that neighbours began to seek his assistance in their gardens. His suggestions and prescriptions proved quite effective and, soon, he became known as the Plant Doctor.

In his words, All sorts of vegetation seemed to thrive under my touch until I was styled the plant doctor, and plants from all over the county would be brought to me for treatment. At this time I had never heard of botany and could scarcely read.

George had literally fallen in love with Nature. He made a little garden for himself in the nearby woods and spent most of his time exploring the world around him. His love for the natural world made all that he saw—stones, flowers, insects, animals—fascinating to him and he passionately sought to know more about them. I literally lived in the woods, he reminisced. I wanted to know every strange stone, flower, insect, bird, or beast. No one could tell me. My only book was an old Webster’s Elementary Spelling Book. I would seek the answer here without satisfaction. I almost knew the book by heart,

Interestingly, it was in the course of these solitary explorations that he had his first encounter with God. He had heard from a white-neighbourhood boy that they often sang and prayed to God at Sunday School. And he proceeded to do just that. While alone in the loft of the Carvers’ barn, he knelt down and invited God into his life. As he did, he felt the presence of God around him and the peace and joy of divine transformation flooded his heart. God just came into my heart, he wrote. That was my simple conversion, and I have tried to keep the faith.

Although he was just about 10 years old then, that dramatic experience greatly influenced his life and affected everything he did until his death.

Many Questions, Few Answers

Mrs Carver was thoughtful enough to perceive that there was something special about George. She therefore sought to satisfy his thirst for knowledge as much as she could. But his questions were too numerous and complex for her to handle. It appeared the more he knew, the more he wanted to know.

Still, the wonderful Carvers wouldn’t discourage him in anyway. On the contrary, his insatiable thirst for knowledge seemed to impress them the more and they resolved to do everything that would make him realise his dreams. Mr. and Mrs. Carver were very kind to me, he said, and I thank them so much for my home training. They encouraged me to secure knowledge, helping me all they could, but this was quite limited.

The Carvers figured the only way they could satisfy George was to help him get formal education. They tried to enrol him in a nearby school, but he was rejected because he was black. George was disappointed, but not daunted. He had a strong conviction that as long as he kept trying and praying, there would be a way out of his situation.

And, sure, the way appeared one day when he went with Mr Carver to Neosho, eight miles away from Diamond Grove. Somehow, he sighted a group of black children straggling into a shanty schoolhouse. Was he dreaming?

As soon as the door closed behind the young pupils, he stealthily crept to the door with his ear glued to it to listen to what was going on inside. Just as he had thought, the pupils were actually receiving and reciting lessons! He peeped through the keyhole and saw a black teacher reading to the children just as they did in the white schools. Finally he had found a solution to his problem!

But his waiting period wasn’t quite over as he had envisaged. When he told the Carvers about his discovery, they were not willing to let him go—not because they were cruel but because they reasoned that the journey of eight miles every day would be too stressful for someone who was barely eleven years old. He had to wait till he was twelve.

When George was finally considered old enough, he was told he was free to attend the school. But there were still fears that he might find it difficult to cope with such long treks everyday. Not wanting to miss another opportunity, he told them not to bother as he was ready to stay permanently in Neosho so as to get education.

This even made them more worried. Who did he know there? How was he going to survive alone? But George wasn’t going to allow his enthusiasm to wane by worrying about such things. He told them he would find a place where he could do some domestic duties (such as he’d been taught by Mrs Carver) for money. Again, his persistence prevailed. The Carvers had no choice but to release him, albeit reluctantly.

Neosho, Here I come!

Thus, one early morning, George set out on the long, dusty road to Neosho with nothing but a small package of food, a shirt and some of his precious stones. The foreseeable challenges didn’t bother him in any way; the exciting feeling of having a good education that would provide answers to all the questions on his mind was enough to keep him cheerful and hopeful.

His optimism was however punctured when he finally arrived Neosho. The school had closed for the day and, with no one to talk to and nowhere to stay, he became stranded. He wandered around the locality till dusk; after which he crawled into the loft of a barn near the schoolhouse and he slept off.

At dawn, he ventured from the loft of the barn and crawled atop the woodpile in the yard behind a neat frame-house next door to the school. The yard was grassy and had flowers in it, and that, to George, made it a good place to wait for the schoolhouse to open.

Suddenly, the back door of the house opened and a black woman came into the yard. She asked the frightened boy who he was and where he had come from. He stammered that he was Carver’s George and that he had come from Carver’s farm to Neosho to go to school so that he could find out what made snow and hail, and whether the colour of a flower could be changed by changing the seed. The woman, Mariah Watkins, told him she doubted if he could find out those things in Neosho but that she had a feeling he would learn them somewhere, someday.

Nevertheless, Mariah took the young explorer into the house to meet her husband, Andrew, and they gave him breakfast as they listened to the rest of his story. Moved with compassion, the childless couple offered to allow him stay with them and attend school if he could assist them with house chores. This was no problem for George, considering the number of years he had spent helping Mrs Carver. He was filled with joy and gratitude.

Mariah however made it clear to him that he would henceforth refer to himself as George Carver and not Carver’s George (Slaves were often called this way to show who their owners were. Due to illiteracy and ignorance, most of the newly-freed slaves continued to refer to themselves that way thinking it was normal). Besides, he would have to call her and her husband, Aunt Mariah and Uncle Andrew.

George soon grew fond of his foster parents because of their exceptional kindness. Though they were both engaged in menial occupations (Mary was a midwife and washerwoman; while Andrew was doing some other odd job), they made life comfortable for him and encouraged him in his educational pursuit.

Maria once told him, You must learn all you can, then go back out into the world and give your learning back to the people. This exhortation made a deep impression on him. And he made up his mind to do exactly as he had been counselled.

Dare to be Different

At the Lincoln School for Coloured Children where George attended, he distinguished himself with his ever-inquisitive mind, gentle manners and keen interest in books. During school breaks, while other pupils were busy frolicking about, the young scholar spent his time either exploring his environment or drawing pictures on his slate. He was so passionate about his studies that, sometimes, while dutifully doing his house chores, he would have a book spread in front of him.

Unsurprisingly, he did much better in his schoolwork than all the other seventy-four pupils packed in the lofty old schoolroom. And just a year after his enrolment, his black teacher, Stephen Frost, declared that he had mastered all that the school had to offer. He was therefore offered a certificate of merit that would enable him attend high school.

Price of Excellence

The prospect of furthering his education should have excited George beyond measure, but he found himself in a serious dilemma: since there was no high school he could attend in Neosho, leaving for high school somewhere else would mean leaving the pleasant home of his caring foster-parents.

What was he to do? Was he to remain in the comfort of Maria and Andrew’s home and ignore the burning desire for more knowledge; or was he to venture out to satisfy his yearning?

He chose the latter. Fortunately for him, one day, he overheard some black neighbours saying they were moving to Fort Scott, a relatively large town about seventy-five miles from Neosho. He felt there must be some high school for him to attend there. So he approached the migrating neighbours with a plea to join their wagon. He volunteered to look after their mules as they journeyed. The proposal seemed good to the neighbours and they agreed to take him with them.

But getting a job at Fort Scott was not as easy as George had envisaged. By the time he found one as a cook for a wealthy family, he was close to starvation. And even though the new job provided some succour to him, it didn’t provide him with enough money to start school immediately.

Even if the job had been lucrative, there was a more serious problem: it was very demanding and time-consuming. George knew this would hamper his educational pursuits but he needed to survive and to get some money to finance his high school plans. So he decided to stay there till he had saved enough money to be on his own.

Meanwhile, his adoptive parents—Moses and Susan Carver—had got the news of his journey to Fort Scott. They weren’t happy with the decision because they had expected him to return home after his stay at Neosho. More importantly, since they weren’t as optimistic as he was, they had expected him to come home and die as the family doctor had predicted. When they heard from me, he wrote, I was cooking for a wealthy family in Ft. Scott, Kansas, for my board, clothes, and school privileges. Of course, they were indignant and sent for me to come home at once to die, as the family doctor had told them I would never live to see 21 years of age.

But he was too determined to excel in his pursuit than to allow such gloomy prediction to deter him. Instead of heeding their call, he simply trusted in God and pressed on. And contrary to the Carvers’ expectations, his