Corps member Peace Bassey is sharing her story after a near-fatal electric shock in 2015 left her with permanent disabilities and changed the direction of her life. The incident happened on June 1, 2015, while she worked at a shop that sold fairly used phones in Lagos.
Bassey said it started as a normal workday. Power officials had come to fix an electrical issue earlier that morning. Moments after power was restored, she suffered a severe shock that knocked her unconscious. “It felt like my entire body was on fire. Everything became blurry,” she recalled. She was rushed to several hospitals that turned her away before she was admitted to National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos.
She spent two days unconscious and woke up to pain and uncertainty. The shock damaged her face, head, back, hands, and nose. Recovery was long and painful, and the emotional toll was heavy. Bassey said she struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Customers at work mocked her appearance, sometimes forcing her to cover her face with a handkerchief on her way to work.
Family and one close friend kept her grounded. Bassey, the second child from her mother’s side in a polygamous home, said her friend’s quiet support during lonely days became a turning point. “I made a firm decision that I could not continue living my life in that broken state,” she said. That decision pushed her back to school. She earned an ND at LASPOTECH and an HND in Business Administration at Kwara State Polytechnic, and is currently serving as a corps member.
The experience reshaped her view of life. Bassey said the accident taught her that life is fragile and unpredictable, and that society places too much pressure on physical appearance, especially for women. She now speaks up on social media, refusing to let criticism break her. “I’ve learnt to be more confident, emotionally strong, and less affected by people’s opinions,” she said.
Today, Bassey sees her survival as purpose. She believes God gave her a second chance and wants others with visible scars or disabilities to know they still deserve love, dignity, and opportunity. “Beauty is far beyond physical appearance,” she said. “Scars or physical differences do not reduce a person’s value or humanity.”