Four years ago, Sa'adatu Mohammed would have been buried and gone forever – a grave was already prepared for her remains. That she passed out, momentarily, was not a surprise because she was critically sick and just waiting for a little time to give up the ghost.

Thankfully, that was not to be. At the nick of time when her family members were contemplating where to bury her, Sa'adatu's heart ticked and her mother, who held her sorrowfully as the arguments ensued unabated, shouted aloud: "she is alive, she is alive!" Many did not believe her because Sa'adatu was unconscious and near death; though her body was not doing well, her heart remained ticking. When they responded to the mother's alert, she was discovered to be breathing. "Quickly my father rushed me to the General Hospital here in Otukpo. I was put on drip for 14 days to gain strength and consciousness," says Sa'adatu.

Sa'adatu recalls that at the hospital, she instantly became a 'tourist' attraction: "Many people were coming to the hospital to greet and see the woman who died and rose again." Although Sa'adatu gained consciousness, her condition was still critical because tests conducted at the hospital in 2007 revealed that she had HIV and tuberculosis. "For some time I could not walk because I was sickly, frail, seriously weak and psychologically disappointed that I have HIV. For eight months, I took TB drugs before I commenced treatment for HIV in 2008."

Her health condition was made better with the antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) she received from the General Hospital in Otukpo, which is supported by the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN). On discharge from the hospital, Sa'adatu held a 'survival' party because according to her, "my survival was a great miracle and it was proper to gather some of my friends and family members to celebrate my recovery from death-bed." Shrugging away her HIV status, Sa'adatu, who was born and bred in Otukpo, fell in love with a man she met at the party. This relationship ended on a sour note though, "I had affair with him and became pregnant. He asked me to abort the pregnancy since he was not ready to marry me. I refused to abort the baby and for this reason, he ended the relationship saying that he has nothing to do with me and the baby. I have not seen him since that time, but I am happy that my baby is doing well. She is my comfort."

Her baby is not HIV positive because she yielded to the advice of Mrs. Christiana Oga, Founder and Coordinator of Otabo Care Givers, who counseled her to enroll for antenatal and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services very early during her pregnancy. "She asked me to go for antenatal care till I deliver and after delivery she has not stopped supporting me. My baby gets ACTION meal free from Otabo which is supported by IHVN."

The arrival of the baby came with challenges: "I thought of how to take care of the little angel God gave me and how to disregard the people who ridiculed me for being HIV positive, as well as having a baby girl to take care of." Sa'adatu has her parents to thank for the support she receives at home. "My parents take care of the baby when I am out to work and are daily concerned about my health and well-being. They remind me to take my HIV drugs and my elder brother provided the bicycle that I use for my thrift business."

To lighten the burden of the parents in caring for her and the baby girl, she serves as a volunteer for the General Hospital, Otukpo. As a Mentor-Mother, she supports and counsels women of child-bearing age accessing PMTCT services at the hospital. "I find my work here interesting because having gone through PMTCT services; it is very easy for me to communicate the benefits of these services to other women. And they have always believed me." Sa'adatu says that PMTCT services are real, "I have a negative-baby because I went through PMTCT. I am advising all pregnant women to accept PMTCT so that their babies do not get infected with HIV. Taking ARV is not easy for adults talk less babies." She says that it is better to prevent children from HIV infection.

This is not all she does to keep body and soul together. She also runs a thrift business, which takes her to many places in Otukpo town on her bicycle, especially the market. "I have many customers in the market and my HIV status is known to them. The only thing is that the business is stressful, so I look forward to having a better job that is not stressful, or owning a lady motorcycle to be able to reach my customers without being tired. The return on commission that I get is manageable and encouraging to meet my immediate needs. So far Otabo Care Givers Support Group has been helpful. The soft loan of N5,000 with which I started this thrift business was provided by Otabo."