New short story release: ‘Embracing The Unconventional Path’ by Ife Akanegbu

‘Embracing The Unconventional Path’ is the new short story by Ife Akanegbu. Photo: Ife Akanegbu, used with permission.

Although not in the headlines as much as they once were, stories about people with HIV and the stigma it carries still need to be told. It affects people of all types of backgrounds, genders, and races and the strain it causes on their mental health is undeniable. Today’s new book is “Embracing The Unconventional Path: A Short Story About Confronting HIV Stigma and Embracing Mental Health” by Ife Akanegbu. It tells the inspiring journey of Adanma, an HIV positive young girl. It is available on Amazon and from September 14-16, it will be free to download.

Storytelling is to Ife Akanegbu, a Nigerian native, what art is to Picasso: an undeniable passion that only grows stronger with each tale told. He began telling stories as a young boy as a means of passing the time and would soon evolve into a creative outlet when, years later, Ife decided to add his voice to the mental health debate. That is when he combined this talent with more than fifteen years of medical expertise to create Motivating Our Champions, a game-changing children’s book series designed to help our precious little ones take good care of their mental health. (Ife Akanegbu, 2023)

By covering various topics from health problems and communicable diseases to writing Christian short stories, he is determined to impact lives by inspiring people to start deep and honest discussions on matters that are often considered too difficult to initiate, even as he promotes preventive medicine. Ife is versatile and as dedicated to addressing children through his captivating stories as he is to addressing adults.

Leading a life full of adventure, compassion, and resilience with life lessons learned along the way, Ife enjoys sharing his thrilling experiences with others. He completed his medical training in Nigeria and obtained his Master’s in Health Management at the University of Leeds. Ife now practices family medicine in British Columbia. With more projects in the works, you can certainly look forward to more beautiful, vivid, and interactive reads. His new short story “Embracing The Unconventional Path: A Short Story About Confronting HIV Stigma and Embracing Mental Health” invites you to challenge your own perceptions and embrace a world free from stigma. (Ife Akanegbu, 2023)

“Embracing The Unconventional Path: A Short Story About Confronting HIV Stigma and Embracing Mental Health”– When Titi and Musa struggle to conceive a child, fate leads them to Adanma, a beautiful 5-year-old in need of a loving home. But something about Adanma makes Titi hesitant to adopt her – she is HIV positive. However, Musa’s deep connection with the young girl compels him to pursue the adoption process, which Titi eventually gets on board.

Determined to protect her against prejudice, Titi does whatever it takes to hide her status from the world. But right from the word go, Adanma bravely and resiliently embraces her status, fearlessly talking about it every chance she gets, regardless of who is listening.

Her brilliant mind and unwavering self-acceptance become her greatest assets, and she excels academically, refusing to be defined by her status. Adanma’s inspiring journey ultimately captures the attention of both young men and influential figures, leading her to the world stage.

The way we see ourselves influences how the world sees us. It becomes our inner thoughts and can help us navigate difficult paths.

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Photo: Ife Akanegbu, used with permission.

New children’s book series: Motivating Our Champions by Ife Akanegbu

Dr. Ife Akanegbu has written a series of books for children focusing on promoting positive mental health. Photo: Google

Ife Akanegbu has always had a lifelong passion for telling stories. He completed his medical training in Nigeria before achieving a Master’s in Health Management at the University of Leeds. Upon observing the alarming rise in depression, anxiety, and self-harm rates, he felt compelled to take action and he knew his gift for storytelling could make a difference. That is when he combined this talent with his more than fifteen years of medical expertise to create Motivating Our Champions, a game-changing children’s book series designed to help our precious little ones take good care of their mental health. The books in the series include “My Grandpa Is A Hero,” “Janel’s Struggle,” and “Lila And The New Bully.” (Ife Akanegbu, 2023)

Ife’s charming life story is full of inspiration, adventure, and compassion. In fact, he has mastered the art of captivating storytelling by sharing his experiences with others. Ultimately, this motivated him to use his skill to impact current mental health trends, an issue that concerns him deeply.

“My Grandpa Is A Hero” – Tyler spends all his free time in his room playing video games and does not even want to join the family for dinners. His siblings come to the table and play on their devices all through mealtime. Grandpa is staying with the family and is not happy with the lack of interest the kids have in being part of the family. Grandpa decides to do something about it and finds fun and engaging activities for the kids, they begin to live healthier, more well-rounded lives, and their mental health improves.

“My Grandpa Is A Hero” can teach kids and parents the value of family activities and how it affects the quality of life. Parents learn about setting limits for TV and electronic devices and kids learn they can have fun by not engrossing themselves in their electronics.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

“Janel’s Struggle” – Janel is going through a tough time because she is overweight and feels she does not fit in. No matter what she does, she cannot lose weight. She is bullied at school and feels she does not have any friends. After many attempts to try to lose weight, it begins to affect her mental health. Janel does not even want to look at herself in the mirror. Only the love and support from her mother helps her find the real reason why she cannot lose weight.

“Janel’s Struggle” will take you and your child through a heartfelt journey of how people’s perception and bullying of an overweight child is harmful to their mental health. It helps parents teach children about mental health as well as accepting who they are and asking for help when they feel something is wrong. It also teaches children how much making fun of someone hurts. “Janel’s Struggle” informs parents that when things are not right, there is not always an obvious answer.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

“Lila And The New Bully” – Lila’s mother moves her to a new school because Lila is being bullied. On the first day of class, Lila is confronted with the same issue from one of her classmates, Kima. Instead of being discouraged, Lila demonstrates empathy for Kima and wants to be her friend, so she comes up with a plan.

“Lila And The New Bully” will help your child realize that sometimes people are mean because they are hurting inside and their mental health is not good. Lila’s compassion and kindness show kids a positive way to handle someone who is mean to them and the importance of mental health. Sometimes showing love and kindness is better than acting out in a non loving way.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

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