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Odunayo Sanya is a versatile professional with more than 20 years of postgraduate work experience in the Education, Financial Services and Telecommunication sectors of which 15 years have been in management positions. She is currently a General Manager in a leading Telecommunication Company – with an active base of 57million subscribers (April 2016), where she leads the Planning and Customer Management team. She is adept at conceptualizing and implementing innovative customer –centric practices and procedures to improve efficiency in an organization. An Alum of the Lagos Business School (SMP 27) and IMD with executive trainings from the Harvard Business School and Cornell University, she is a certified Professional Forecaster CPF) and a member of the Institute of Business Forecasting & Planning (New York). An international speaker, Odunayo has presented papers at the IIR Telecoms loyalty &Churn in Berlin (2009) and Nice, France (2010). A conference advisor at Fleming Gulf’s ‘Win Your Customer’ conference in South Africa (2011). She is also a volunteer mentor on the platform of WISCAR (Women in Successful Careers). Odunayo is a John Maxwell certified Coach, Speaker and Trainer.
Sometime in 1997, she noticed a swelling on her chest, just below her collar bone. She thought nothing of it other than it being a pimple waiting for expiration. After a few months, she observed that it was growing and became very itchy. A visit to her doctor revealed it was a hypertrophic scar, in simple terms, a ‘Keloid.’ She met with a dermatologist who let her know she must have scratched an assumed ‘pimple’ and this unconscious act had resulted in a keloid. The scar began to grow minimally – at first. “I was conscious of it and worried as to the possible alteration this may portend for my life. In 2002, I commenced treatment using injections. The keloid was injected with steroids and left in its wake so much pain that it was unbearable. The Keloid continued to grow; it was now about 2 inches in height and 4 inches in length.” She says and continues “It was thick and very itchy. I worried about it, not so much for my sanity but what others would think. I was asked questions around the cause, question to which I had no answer. With every pregnancy, the keloid got permission for growth.” She reveals.
The itchy pain was unbearable. In 2009, Odunayo checked in for a Keloidectomy after consultation with a plastic surgeon. The surgery was successful; at least, the thick keloid had been taken off her chest. She still had follow up treatments. She had to take the injections again. Half way into the first post-surgery injection,Odunayo ordered her surgeon to stop with a loud shrill. In her words, “My reaction to the fluid was that of intense pain which hit my brain immediately. My doctor had to stop. At that point, I took the decision to prioritize my pain versus the result. A number of times I have had to answer questions from my children like ‘What happened to you here Mummy?’ They ask with so much love and run their hands over ‘My SCAR’” furthermore, she says “ I have owned it; it doesn’t own me. I make sure I answer every time I am asked. I answer with a lot of clarity and leave room for more questions. My family have never been afraid of My SCAR. I am not afraid of my SCAR. My decision? Though I was physically scarred on the chest, I was far from scarred in my mind and spirit.”
“ I realized my SCAR is my seed of greatness. I understood (thanks to my mentors – John C. Maxwell, Paul Martinelli, Robin Sharma) my SCAR is a license to help others fulfil purpose. Rather than spend the rest of my days and faith expecting healing, I chose to spend the rest of my days and faith pursuing my dreams of impacting those I come across in my journey in life. For this purpose, I unveiled my SCAR.”
Hear her share more on her scar. “ You see, my SCAR is a badge of honour and I am proud to wear it. It is an evidence that I have been through some rare experiences (respect me for that) and most important is that my SCAR has added strength to my beauty and confidence to my gait. What SCARs do you carry? They could be Physical or psychological. Your SCARs are real to the extent that you give them life. To learn how to unveil your SCAR and listen to the rest of my story, join me on the 24th of March at the Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel on Ozumba Mbadiwe for a Leadership Masterclass based on a true life story.”
Kemi Ajumobi
