Viral HepatitisAWARENESS

& TREATMENT

by Dr. Titilayo Ademoluti-Folami

with an infected person, use of infected needles or transmission of infected blood, cause symptoms like fever, muscle weakness, fatigue and could get worse causing jaundice.

If left untreated, it can progress to become chronic and cause liver cirrhosis where the functioning of liver cells become replaced with scar tissues that cannot function as liver cells anymore or even worse, liver cancer and ultimately death.

DIAGNOSIS.

Diagnosis is carried out through blood tests that detects the antigen of the virus and/or antibodies to the viruses.

Hepatitis is a term that simply means inflammation of the liver. It can be infectious (bacterial, viral, fungal) or non-infectious (alcohol, drugs, autoimmune). This article focuses on viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by viruses; Hepatitis A Virus (HAV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Hepatitis D Virus (HDV) and Hepatitis E Virus (HEV).

TRANSMISSION.

“In recent times, there has been an increase in the prevalence of viral hepatitis in Africa.”

Hepatitis A, D and E viruses are transmitted via the feco-oral route, that is, through consumption of food and water contaminated by these viruses. HDV causes a unique infection that requires the assistance of HBV particles to replicate and infect liver cells. This means that HDV is transmitted often with HBV. HBV and HCV are transmitted sexually or via contact with infected blood and body fluids. In recent times, there has been an increase in the prevalence of viral hepatitis in Africa.

SIGNSANDSYMPTOMS.

“...hepatitis B and C when transmitted through sex with an infected person, use of infected needles or transmission of infected blood, cause symptoms like fever, muscle weakness, fatigue and could get worse causing jaundice.”

HAV, HDV and HEV, if in the system, may not cause any noticeable symptoms. They may however cause mild symptoms like fever, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness and can get worse to cause jaundice or liver failure but most times the body is able to clear them with some treatment. On the other hand, hepatitis B and C when transmitted through sex

TREATMENT.

“Advancement in technology has made the management of hepatitis B infection and cure of HCV possible.”

HAV, HDV and HEV can be treated supportively based on the symptoms with or without antiviral medications. Advancement in technology has made the management of hepatitis B infection and cure of HCV possible.

Once diagnosed with hepatitis, it is important to avoid/restrict other things that can damage the liver e.g., alcohol consumption and use of NonSteroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs like paracetamol.

For Hepatitis B, the Gastroenterologist will send for some investigations like a DNA panel, Liver Function Test, Abdominal Ultrasound Scan, and any other test necessary. The results will determine the next line of action(s).

The Physician’s likely action is, antiviral medications, If acute, or if chronic infection that can be transmitted, has been detected. This will also determine the frequency of clinic visits. If followed up properly there is less risk of developing liver cirrhosis or liver cancer, and a healthy life can be achieved.

In the case of HCV, the Gastroenterologist will request a viral load and other investigations, give medications, and monitor until cure is achieved. The drawback here is that treatment is expensive for an average African, hence the need for active prevention.

“If followed up properly there is less risk of developing liver cirrhosis or liver cancer, and a healthy life can be achieved.”

PREVENTION.

Viral hepatitis is preventable.

a. For the feco-orally transmitted Hepatitis viruses ensure proper hand washing, wash, cook and store food properly to avoid contamination and kill germs in it.

b. For Hepatitis B and C, ensure safe sexual practices; Abstinence, Being Faithful to one partner and proper condom use, avoid sharing sharp objects, ensure all blood is well c. screened before transmission, ensure proper cleaning and disinfection of surfaces soiled with blood/body fluids. d. Pregnant mothers with hepatitis and should ensure proper Ante Natal Care as there are services for prevention of mother To child transmission that will be offered to protect the child. e. Ensure vaccination for hepatitis B in children (this is enshrined in the National Policy on Immunization in Nigeria), adults and booster doses for persons who have been vaccinated a long time ago and are exposed to hepatitis B.

CONCLUSION.

Viral Hepatitis infection is on the increase and it’s important to manage it properly and prevent its transmission. It is real. Let us ensure we save our lives and stay healthy while doing the work of our Father in heaven.

INTERVIEW WITH DR. NIYI BORIRE

Kindly tell us about your family, education, and professional background.

I was born and bred in Lagos, Nigeria. I am the second of five children with two other step sisters from my father’s second relationship. Three of my siblings are here in Australia with me and my brother resides in the UK with his family. We grew up in Nigeria under difficult circumstances because my parents had some challenges with their relationship which led to my father leaving at a time and had two other girls with another woman.

They are both lovely girls, I have a good relationship with them, they are both at the university. As a background for myself, I finished primary school at 8 years old and finished high school at 14 years old. I went to college and studied for a Diploma in Computer Science which was really exciting but I have a real passion for Health Care.

I have always wanted to help people who are vulnerable even though I was more inclined to Mathematical subjects. I was more gifted in careers that have mathematics as a foundation such as Engineering and Architecture but somehow I found myself studying Medicine and Surgery at the University of Lagos because of my passion for health care, and looking after the sick and vulnerable in the society.

I graduated after 6 years of medical school and completed a year of internship. I migrated to Australia where I went through Post-Graduate training and residency training followed by Advanced Training in Neurology with a specialization in Neurophysiology.

After that, I completed my Ph.D. at the University of South Wales which is really amazing, I won a lot of awards through my research. For the last seven or eight years, I have been practicing as a consultant Neurologist in the teaching hospital and I also run a practice in three locations here in Sydney.

I work for the Royal Australia Air Force as a Neurologist as well.

“We grew up in Nigeria under difficult circumstances because my parents had some challenges with their relationship which led to my father leaving at a time and had two other girls with another woman.”

How have your upbringing and early life experiences influenced your career path and choices?

My upbringing was a whole lot of experiences. We initially started as a typical middle-class Nigerian family. My father was a senior manager at the Nigerian Security and Minting Company before he started his own business. My mother was a senior supervisor at NITEL and was retrenched in the early 80s and became a “stay-at-home mom”.

Life was good until my father’s business collapsed in the mid to late 90s. It was really hard for us, he was in a lot of debt which just made life tough. He lost all his assets and some properties. It slowly affected my parents' marriage and we began the rapid descent from comfortable children to days where there was no food at all. I remember having to trade our textbooks for fried yam just to get dinner, eating unripe plantains and palm oil on Christmas day. My parents had to batter their clothes for money.

I was quite young but those experiences made me mature very quickly. All of that drew me to God, my faith came alive in 1998 just before my fifteen birthday. It made a huge difference and helped me process my life in a different way. Those tough situations made me mature earlier than my peers and gave a sense of purpose and direction, I was so motivated. I hated poverty so much and was driven to break the circle of poverty over my life and my family. I was determined not to suffer.

I got through college by faith and I survived. I was healthy, getting distinctions in school, I had no textbooks only a few notebooks, and used the library. It made me resilient, and more confident even when I begged on the street for money, I was a better person altogether. The challenges gave me a bigger view of life. I left home at the age of fifteen and never moved back in, only going for holidays from time to time.

Looking back at your upbringing, can you share with us some of the challenges you faced and moral principles that helped you to navigate through those challenges?

One of the issues is that the challenges drew me away from my family. I wasn’t super close with my parents and siblings. I didn’t like the environment, it was odd, hot, and tense. There was poverty and the parents were also not getting along well of course it transferred to the children. The relationship with my loved ones is still something I am trying to navigate and build up the closeness up till now.

Who is the one person who influenced you the most whilst growing up? What was the messaging and the dynamics underscoring the relationship?

Growing up, the person who influenced me the most was this wonderful man, Mr. Ayo Awe. I will always mention his name because God used him amazingly for me. I had friends who were always encouraging and supporting me then but this man played a huge role in my life. In my first year of medical school, I was about to drop out because I couldn’t pay the fees.

I went to church on Sunday, I was a children's teacher then. After the service, I was in a sober mood when Mr. Awe saw me, I explained my situation to him and he took me in since then, gave me a room in his house, paid my fees every year, and gave me a monthly allowance until I graduated from Medical school and even when I was going to Australia he supported me.

He helped with the school fees and WAEC fees of my siblings, paid bills at home, electricity bills, and so on. That gave me a good foundation as he wasn’t there financially only but also emotionally. He was a mentor, coach, and spiritual father to me. I wanted to be like him when I grew up. I hope I’m getting closer to that each day.

“I went to church on Sunday, I was a children's teacher then. After the service, I was in a sober mood when Mr. Awe saw me, I explained my situation to him and he took me in since then, gave me a room in his house, paid my fees every year, and gave me a monthly allowance until I graduated from Medical school and even when I was going to Australia he supported me.”

In your view, what is the most significant factor in your childhood that shaped the man you became today?

My faith made a huge difference by not allowing me to go astray. I have a lot of friends who became hooked on drugs and all sorts. My connection with Jesus brought a lot of hope, and focus and I found my purpose early. The most significant factor was my relationship with Jesus and I still have that relationship today.

With the benefit of hindsight now as an adult, if you could, what advice would you give your 16-year-old self?

I am not sure there is anything I will look back and say I did wrong or regretted, everything happened for a reason. Maybe my relationship with my parents and siblings was not that great. That’s not an excuse. My academics were excellent and my faith was my consolation, I had graduated with a Distinction in Computer Science and preparing for Medical School at sixteen, I was so driven. I would encourage my 16-year-old self to continue in the line of God and maybe open up my relationship with my family but I’m not sure that’s fair to a 16-yearold.

Neurology is an extremely exacting and elitist field in the medical field. Why the choice of neurology as a career and also why did you choose the research line?

I didn’t know much about neurology until I read the book “GIFTED HANDS”. I was really keen on anything that deals with the brain. During the Neuro Anatomy course in my medical school first year I really enjoyed the complexity of the brain and knew it was going to be my thing. After my fellowship program, I felt like I needed to do some research work. My Father died shortly before I travelled to Australia due to neurological complications of diabetes. I was really interested in studying Diabetes Neuropathic which was what I studied for my Ph.D.

What is something about you and your specialization that most people who are familiar with you do not know?

For me, medicine is not a career, it’s a calling. My work is ministry and also I am lucky enough to pastor a church, so I understand what ministry work is. The same dedication and commitment that I put into my pastoral work is what I put into my field of work as a physician. What most people don’t know about my field of specialization is that most neurological conditions are incurable, only manageable. I help patients understand how to help make the journey easier for them. A lot of patients are grateful when they understand what their body is telling them. There are times when great miracles happen and there are testimonies. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Explaining medical conditions to families, helping them accept, and making the patient comfortable is my job. That’s probably one thing people are not familiar with.

“What most people don’t know about my field of specialization is that most neurological conditions are incurable, only manageable. I help patients understand how to help make the journey easier for them. A lot of patients are grateful when they understand what their body is telling them.”

Neurology is most commonly perceived as brain surgery. What common misconceptions do people have about your line of work and what is your response to them?

Neurology is not Neurosurgery, and a Neurologist is not a Neurosurgeon who conducts operations. I am a brain physician and we deal with conditions that don’t require operations like headaches, migraines, epilepsy, dementia, nerve injuries, and complications. We manage and treat them medically.

What advice would you give young people aspiring to follow in your path as neurologists?

If you want to be a Neurologist, it starts with being a Physician. You must have a passion for medicine, care for people, and help people, it is a demanding career. It is technical but doable.

If you are a people person, you will probably survive in the field of neurology. You can be a neuroscience researcher if you don’t want to deal with patient care.

You were awarded the prestigious Golseth Award by the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine in recognition of your contributions to the field of neurology. Looking back at your career, what would you say was the most rewarding aspect of the entire experience as well as of winning the prestigious Award?

The most rewarding of my experience as a Neurologist so far is the difference I make on a daily basis. I am always excited about going to work, I don’t struggle at work, I’m in my comfort zone. I shine at work. I wouldn’t be this happy if I was an engineer or programmer. The most rewarding experience is not the public recognition, awards, or Google reviews. It is the joy and happiness of making someone else’s life better.

The award was a good moment for me, what hit me on that day was standing in front of thousands of people being one of the three or four black persons there, I remember my days in YABATECH, when I struggled with tenses and expressing myself. I had low self-esteem.

I remember I used to dream that one day I would stand before hundreds of thousands of people in the audience and I would talk, and people would hear and understand me. It was a magical moment. I was like “Wow, dreams do come true”. If you are a dreamer, keep working at your dreams, it may tarry but it will come to pass.

“I remember I used to dream that one day I would stand before hundreds of thousands of people in the audience and I would talk, and people would hear and understand me. It was a magical moment. I was like “Wow, dreams do come true”. If you are a dreamer, keep working at your dreams, it may tarry but it will come to pass.” measures can be put in place to ensure Nigerian doctors are encouraged to practice successfully in Nigeria?

As a leader in your industry, how do you stay ahead of the curve and continually innovate? What drives you to explore new ideas and push boundaries?

I wouldn’t count myself as one of the top leaders in our industry. Everything I do within our field is to make a difference in the lives of people. I stay ahead of the curve by listening to my patients.

God has created us to be diverse, what you’ ve seen before will come in a different way. Things that have helped me are being flexible, adaptable, openminded, and not being biased.

No one has a monopoly of knowledge, working in a team, attending meetings, conferences, workshops and seeing how you can apply that in your practices and getting involved with technology within our field have been very helpful.

The real motivations are making a difference in their lives and contributing to society. My heart cries to help people get better, refine our ideas, and have a better understanding of diseases and their treatments.

I left Nigeria when I was very young at the age of 25. I am forever grateful because Nigeria trained me as a Doctor. I lived in poverty and things were very hard for me so I had to leave. It was more of an economical decision for me. I had been to England and saw how Medicine was practiced, it was organized, that was when the desire came, and I knew I would thrive in that type of environment where the healthcare is good and the patients are the center of healthcare. That was one of my motivations and things were really hard.

My father died in my ward where I was working as an intern in Nigeria. Everybody leaves for different reasons. The way I have tried to compensate Nigeria for the support I received in my early years is to give back. I have been going back to Teaching Hospitals to organize some training and donate medical equipment. I would be in FCT this year doing the same. I don’t know what measures to put in place because I haven’t lived in Nigeria for the past 15 years, maybe incentives and improvement of the economy, pay and working conditions. There’ s a global doctors shortage.

making decisions that affect your children?

This is a very important question. The way we approach parenting and raising our children within our marriage is by being intentional. So I think the first thing is about intentionality and not just allowing raising the children to be on “autopilot”.

So these are conversations that my wife and I have had about our approach to parenting in terms of how much of freedom we offer our children and how much of control we give to them. And one person is usually the prime mover, and then the other person is the supporter. So my wife is often the prime mover. She has more contact with the children, so she is the prime mover.

I therefore allow her to set the tone and to set the pace. I always back her up. So the way we operate is that she makes most of all the simple decisions, she decides most of the simple things that would happen in terms of tasks for the children, in terms of the activities. This usually requires some negotiation with them.

As an example, what kind of activities do they want? While my twelve year old likes basketball and my six-year-old likes football and a bit of music.

Both of them are involved in music as well, even though my 12-year-old is not a fan of music, but we still encourage him to get involved with it. So she sets the pace and then I sort of back her up usually.

“So the way we operate is that she makes most of all the simple decisions, she decides most of the simple things that would happen in terms of tasks for the children, in terms of the activities. This usually requires some negotiation with them.”

And of course, what that means is that I’m not always on their neck in that sense. My boys often have a way with their mum and I think it’s just the same thing for most families where boys and mums are often, so sometimes, they may want to take advantage of her softness because my wife is really soft, but then I would come in and make sure that discipline is enforced.

So we would often back ourselves and usually if my son comes to me for something, and says, hey, can I have this? Or can I have a snack? Or can I get this? I would often ask, have you asked mum? Because mum is prime mover. So if you want a new pair of shoes or socks, all right, you first of all discuss with mum because mum keeps an inventory of things and I don’t know, for example, how many pairs of trousers my son has. It’s just the truth. I don’t keep an inventory of that.

I know, of course, what he does in school and every other thing like that, but some of the basic everyday items that he needs, or maybe if he wants to go visit his friend, maybe during school holidays, mom would usually have plans for them.

So I would say, hey, let’s run it past mum. So I would not approve anything on my own without me running it past mum, just to make sure that she is involved in that decision-making process and she doesn’t have any other contrary plans.

So she would often plan that, for example, they’ re on school holidays now and she would plan out the school holidays and say, okay, this is what they would do, they’ll spend some days with their cousins. And then I would approve. If I have any views, I would.

So this school holidays, I also suggested, oh, why not let’s go out for a musical? So we went to the theater to watch Beauty and the Beast stage musical production. So pretty much that is how we work it. Of course, boys are boys and they would always have indiscretions from time to time. And during this, when these indiscretions are called, we also cooperate in discipline. We try not to do it out of anger. Sometimes it’s hard to do it, but the other person will sort of calm the other party down.

So we are not perfect, certainly not. And of course, I feel for our boys as well because our boys are all born in Australia, but to Nigerian parents.

And it is a completely different situation where you want to bring them in that culture, African culture of respect. But then they also have to sort of navigate their journey here. Striking that balance has been challenging for us. They are exposed to a lot of technology.

“And it is a completely different situation where you want to bring them in that culture, African culture of respect. But then they also have to sort of navigate their journey here. Striking that balance has been challenging for us. They are exposed to a lot of technology.”

For instance, my six-year-old can do lots of stuff on his device. Though he doesn’t have a mobile phone, but he has an iPad and he can do a lot of stuff there.

There are restrictions though. We keep those restrictions there in terms of how much technology they have, but it’s still very technology-driven.

Everything, learning, reading, everything is based on tech. So it is a whole new challenge, you know, having to keep up with all of that and making sure that, like my twelve-year-old, that there are still boundaries and those boundaries are not sort of erased.

But boys will be boys and they will cross lines at times. And it is our duty to sort of keep them in line and help them understand what’s important.

Our boys do housework. They’re involved in domestic chores. They all have their responsibilities and mum runs a decently, reasonably tight ship to make sure that everyone is in line, including myself. My wife runs the family. She is the boss and I am there to support her, provide, and help.

I defer a lot to her because I trust her judgment. She is a wonderful woman. She is a great and amazing parent. So I trust her judgment, particularly when it comes to, you know, raising our boys and being there for them to provide all the support and care for them. We are also very sensitive to our boys. They are different.

We had to validate his feelings, validate his thoughts, support him, and give him all the encouragement that he needs to be able to go on. And you know, he’s moved on and he is doing well. As a matter of fact, he’s now a friend of the boy who said those words.

In fact, during the school holidays, they went out together to watch a movie in the cinema. I’m not a parenting expert so I can’t tell you about the principles of parenting. I can only talk from my own lived experience.

We don’t get it right all the time, but we are also vulnerable. We are not trying to tell our sons sorry when we get it wrong. And we do get it wrong from time to time. And so we apologize to them and make sure that they understand and feel supported in every way possible.

So most of the projects in our homes, our investments, our major strategic decisions, or career decisions often fall to me. I am the prime mover. Of course, her, input is very essential, but that is the thing.

My wife is a very caring, kind person. She likes everything to be in order. She likes things to be put in the right place. And that’s just a natural gift. So I realized that I have to tap into this. So my wife runs the home.

“My wife is a very caring, kind person. She likes everything to be in order. She likes things to be put in the right place. And that’s just a natural gift.”

She tells us what to eat. I don’t decide what I eat. She tells me what I eat. She knows what I like and what I don’t like. And so she makes the schedule for what we eat, how we do things, everything. She’ s very on time. She makes sure we go to church on time.

Everywhere we go, we go on time. She will almost be the first person to get to an event if we are invited. So she keeps us in line. I allow her to sort of thrive or run the domestic affairs. I have seen the gift, and what she likes, and she is able to thrive.

My wife also works with me in our business. So we ’ve got a medical practice and she is a practice manager. And she runs the practice. So she runs the home. She runs a medical practice. She pays all the salaries. She gives me money when I need money. I have got access to the money as well. But she runs, she knows all our family finances and so pays most of the bills and salaries from the business.

Although I’m involved in, as I said, the big strategic decisions of dealing with banks and dealing with insurance companies and dealing with all the bigger stuff. So that’s how we have operated. So it’s all based on what are you gifted in? What are you blessed at? What are you graced to do? And what are your strengths? And so we support each other in that aspect.

My wife was not very financial astute initially. She had nothing to do with finances. She just left it to me, but I had to say “No”. I remember we fought about this over and over, getting her to be used to our finances. We have got the software, the different software we use for our business in terms of finances. She is aware of what is going on.

She knows what’s going on, what’s coming in and everything. One day she decided to do an audit of all the unpaid invoices in our business. It was amazing how much we were owed by different companies, insurance companies, and all sorts who had not paid for services that we had already rendered. She is therefore really in the “ game” now and she is grown in that area.

In our home, for example, when you eat, you wash your plates. Nobody washes anybody’s plates. Even when I eat, I wash my plates. Rarely do I ask my son. Sometimes if I am tired, I ask him to do so and he will do it, but we clean the home together.

My wife of course does more than I do, but I don’t think it is anybody’s duty, but she sets the tone and when she needs help, she calls out for help. So I think we have worked well for that. This morning, I had done the laundry and I hung the washings outside on the line. Sometimes we have some defined tasks like taking out the garbage and the garbage bin and all that. That is often my job to take all the garbage bins out.

And you know, my son helps me now to do that. And if we have any major cleaning to do or packing and all that, I will do that as well. So it is more of a collaborative thing and just working with our strengths.

“In our home, for example, when you eat, you wash your plates. Nobody washes anybody’s plates. Even when I eat, I wash my plates. Rarely do I ask my son. Sometimes if I am tired, I ask him to do so and he will do it, but we clean the home together.”

What advice would you give to couples who are just starting their marital journey or facing challenges in their relationship? What are some key lessons you have learned from your marriage?

The advice I would give to couples who are just starting their marital journey is about friendship. I run a marriage counseling course in our church and that takes weeks, sometimes months to get through.

If I were to give just one piece of advice, it would be building friendships. Friendship! Friendship!! Friendship!!! Marry a friend, marry a friend. If the person is not your friend, make sure you are friends with that person. I reckon that genuine friendship would make the marriage last, that is number one.

So friendship, (or “mateship”), I think is a foundation of a true lasting marriage, where there is mutual respect. This is very important. When you are friends with someone, you freely communicate with that person. The fuel of love is communication.

When you start talking, you start loving and when you stop talking, you stop loving. It is just the truth. If you don’t talk with someone for a long time, you become distant from that person. This is not just talking around issues, but just talking, having one-on-one chats that are deep and meaningful.

I think that especially when you get to the phase where you’ve got children and all that, that may be something that can become lost. We have faced a challenge where most of the conversations we have are just around our children and their wellbeing and different things and business and not talking about ourselves and how we feel and how our bodies are changing, our health changing, and all the different things that we may be going through, the have arguments, you have difficult moments and hard conversations, but that’s all part of friendship. That’s all part of mateship. So I would say that, yes, build friendship, not so this fleeting affection or fleeting attraction that is not really deep. So there’ s a lot to talk about but I think communication is the main thing. When people don’t talk and they’re not open or vulnerable in their relationships, then they would struggle.

So I realized that I get the best out of my wife when I’m vulnerable as a man. If there are challenges there, I tell my wife. The other day I was sharing with her some of the things the Lord was correcting me about, about my own uncertainty. I shared with

Yeah, so this is a really interesting and very important question that I initially struggled with, but I’ve found a way to be able to sort of deal with this. So one of the things that I have done is I don’t chase work-life balance. I strive for work-life integration. I think work-life integration is a better way to do it rather than work-life balance.

One of the ways I have tried to do this and it is still imperfect, but it’s to make sure that all the different facets of my life are well-supported and robust enough. So as I said, on the home front, I make sure that my wife is well-empowered, she’s wellsupported and she’s independent and our relationship is deep. The other thing is because I think the home front is the main one. Being a husband and a father is my primary assignment.

And so one of the things I have done is to make sure that my wife is well aware of all the other ones, all the other responsibilities, and she’s involved in it.

So she’s involved in almost all the other things that I do, she’s aware of what we do, what I do in all the different areas. So for example, when it comes to pastoral work, preaching, and pastoring, we are copastors. So we are involved in it together.

In fact, she’s more of a pastor than I am. I’ m more of a preacher and she’s more of a pastor. She’ s so caring and very, very committed. By doing it together, it helps the person. Because I’m doing ministry with someone that I’m also in love with.

And the same thing with our profession. Even though we are both in the healthcare, we have a business together. And I said she also helps with the practice and we work together. Integrating work and life together can be helpful. She is not heavily involved in my people-building assignment but she’s abreast of if, and she has her own protection.

Initially, it wasn’t like that, she was just a wife, she was not happy at that time and I discovered how I was running it was not good enough so I had to get her involved. She got involved and knew what God called me for, I also got involved in what she was doing and showed interest.

By mutually supporting each other’s passion, it worked out well, and now working together, we find it enjoyable but what I also did was to give her in dependence, so I don’t micro-manage her. She is like my chief operating officer, she reminds me of everything.

“One of the other things I have done is to make sure I delegate, for example, in my people-building assignment, I have a team of executive assistants and others. Most of them volunteer and some of them get paid, a lot of them are my mentees.”

One of the other things I have done is to make sure I delegate, for example, in my peoplesignment, I have a team of executive assistants and others. Most of them volunteer and some of them get paid, a lot of them are my mentees. They run the show behind the scenes, I get a task list of what we are doing for the day. By having that, it takes care of stuff.

In church, we have an amazing team of leaders and each person is empowered and trained to do their work; I don’t micro-manage people, I empower them and hold them accountable. So that is my own style of leadership.

Also, I find time to relax, that is very essential. I take at least four or five days off a month. Most Thursdays I don’t work, I relax or go out to chill alone or with my family. The good thing that works for me is that I have control of my schedule, I’m not on a salary and I don’t report 8-5 although I have a busy schedule. Pastoral work is really hard and I get really busy. Life is kind of balanced that way.

I tell people “You must always have weekly metime” I have my own me-time. Myself and my family also have regular getaways. So, I built a team around myself, empowered and trained them to be capable of making my work easier, and at home, I delegated to my wife, she manages me and I back her up and I love her.

“Also, I find time to relax, that is very essential. I take at least four or five days off a month. Most Thursdays I don’t

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