One Full Year Has Gone By

Apr 13, 2010

Dear friend:

One whole year has gone by since my dear daughter and best friend, Imade Mary Asemota, passed on to be with the Lord. To me, it is still like it cannot be, she is only away at school, but one year has passed and she has not come home for any holidays! I thought life had ended for me; in fact I wanted it to end. I asked God to take care of my other children and take me. By His Grace, Mercy, and everything that constitutes His Godliness, I am still here - for reasons best known to the Almighty God Himself. Not only am I still here, I am functioning (academically and spiritually) with appraisals. The Lord gave me strength to continue. I surely don’t understand how He does these things but I do know He will do what He says He will do, despite us. His Glory cannot be compromised. He owns us.

“Is this me God?” I ask Him at all times. “Is this me or a ghost?” I used to touch my head, my legs, my arms, and fingers to convince myself that I am real and still physical. Our God is good and we Christians say - “All the Time, God is good”. All the time? And He watched and allowed beautiful and high-achieving Imade to die, at the age of 24? Yes, He is good. Yes, He is good at all times including the time when Imade passed on. Yes, including the time I went to visit where she was laid to rest at Mountlawn and asked Him again and again why it is her body and not mine in there. God is not only good at all times; He is patient at all times. He is a good listener too - all times. At times, He is too attending a listener that you feel like prompting Him to check if He is still there or still listening. He is and always will be there. I had to lock myself away from everything to feel Him at times but He is ever there. I have come to fear Him with a fear that chases away every other fear. I love Him; I reverence Him. I don’t still understand why He took my daughter at such an early age. I actually don’t want to understand any more than He is willing to reveal to me at any time. He is a just God. He loves me. He loves my daughter. We belong to Him.

Well, one year has passed and I am still here by His Power and Mercy and not just living but doing. I pause at times and ask thousands of questions, some of which are really silly and humanly annoying. He is yet to get impatient with me. Instead, He upholds me with His inexhaustible Mercy every moment. Moments became days; days became weeks; weeks became months and now it is a year since that unforgettable dreadful moment (April 11th, 2009, 2:29a.m.) when Imade’s physical breath had a full stop.

Imade left some assignments. Born with sickle cell, she wanted to contribute to the solution of the disease. Having studied Chemical Engineering (B.S. at the NC A&T University -2005; M.Sc. at the Michigan State University -2007), she decided to conduct her PhD research on understanding transmigration of blood cells during inflammation from Chemical Engineering perspectives, within the research team of Professor Lola of the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Michigan. She put all of her efforts into it and looked forward to being a part of the solution in the fight against sickle cell disease. She poured her heart into the research. She worked to her fullest potential while bearing the devastations of sickle cell anemia and pains. She could not complete the work.

We have started a Foundation called Imade Mary Asemota Foundation (IAF- www.imadefoundation.org) for Sickle Cell Research and Patients’ Welfare, upon her legacy under the guidance of the Almighty God.

Imade Asemota Foundation is a Not-For-Profit Charitable Organization, set up to promote sickle cell research, enhance public awareness and provide support systems to sickle cell patients and their loved ones. In addition to all the lives she touched, Imade lives on in our memory and her legacy is propagated through IAF. There are millions of sickle cell patients out there living with the stigma, not opening up to enjoy life to their full potential; many of them actually die many times before their death. Imade lived her life radiating joy and happiness, living and attaining to the best she could. The Foundation is poised to encourage sickle cell patients to embrace life to their full potential, while helping to provide needed funds to support the patients and some needy families with such patients. The first IAF scholarship was awarded in Jamaica at Imade’s memorial service on July 15th, 2009 to a second Medical Sciences University Student..

A Graduate School award was named after Imade Asemota at the University of Michigan and IAF will like to sponsor that award to promote incentives for hard work even while bearing pains. It is also a goal of the Foundation to raise funds to support the completion of the line of research Imade was involved in at the University of Michigan , and promote research activities against sickle cell globally.

Sickle cell disease is not infectious; it is inherited and is a disease of the black race. Join us at IAF to contribute your quota in the fight against sickle cell disease. You could enroll by sending your name; e-mail address; telephone number, and location to info@imadefoundation.org. Your consistent contribution of one United States Dollar a month could be a huge help in our efforts.

To promote fundraising, IAF is organizing PRAISE CONCERTS in 2010 that will feature prominent Artists:


You are all invited to join/donate/spread the word/pray regarding these efforts in the fight against sickle cell disease and the painful devastations.

I wish to thank all of you (family friends and Imade’s friends) whom God has used in one way or another to keep His unfailing love flowing to my family (despite my very unattractive mourning delinquencies/styles). Only God can fully reward you and I have asked Him to, in Jesus’ Name. AMEN!


Helen N. Asemota, Ph.D
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology