This photo of our 5 beautiful daughters represents our family's journey with multiple chronic conditions. My eldest, Onyin, was born within months of my mother's death from diabetes complications. My first experience with gestational diabetes was during pregnancy with my second daughter, Osassy. Six months after the birth of my third daughter, Ibim, I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes. Two weeks before my fourth, Emmy, we lost my mother-in-law after multiple strokes from high blood pressure. And my fifth, Uju, represents our victories against NCD challenges.

I believe managing diabetes and other NCDs depends on how we farm, preserve, and prepare our food, including the quantity we eat without artificial sugars. My eldest daughter prepared this sweet potato porridge. It always gives me a normal (FBS) reading, making it one of my favourite dishes. Look at how little we require to live healthily despite diabetes staring at us daily. Overcoming the challenges of living with NCDs requires you and your family to be deliberate and disciplined about your food.

During a routine family walk in January 2021, I noticed this beautiful creation of a plant, which my children informed me is called "touch me not". Like the pancreas, if not disturbed it remains open. If disrupted, it closes up. This is what obesity, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol intake, smoking and self-medication does to our pancreas, leading to diabetes. This photo was taken after my family just survived the 2nd wave of COVID‑19. Appreciation of the world around me became deep.

As a volunteer in the second largest state hospital, I conduct medical screenings for NCDs including diabetes, sickle cell, and hypertension. Lack of knowledge and government shortcomings on NCDs drives me to work hard raising awareness and screening communities. Unfortunately, COVID‑19 disrupted these efforts. Myself and family members tested positive but thankfully overcame the virus, yet others living with NCDs did not, including my friend living with Lupus, Sade. Although information was available, hospitals were under-equipped, which may have quickened the death of Sade and many others.

I am hopeful of change. Through my work, we are building the capacities of community health centers to provide primary NCD care and tackle the deep-rooted issue of late diagnosis due to cultural and religious beliefs, and lack of awareness and government participation. We need collaboration and financial support, and involvement of people living with NCDs in decision-making processes and implementation. I call on our government to invest more in health, make NCD care affordable, and harness the power of people living with NCDs.