“Freedom is not independence; freedom is when purpose is found and pursued.”

In 2008, during a church program, Pastor William Burckson spoke to about 100 university students about the importance of discovering one’s purpose. His words ignited a fire in me—a fire that led me to deeply reflect on my own purpose. At that time, I had been hearing countless reports of untimely deaths in my beloved village, Ve Deme, located in the Volta Region of Ghana, while I was studying Chemistry at the University of Ghana, Legon.

After the sermon, I felt compelled to visit my village to understand why so many of my people, especially the women, were passing away prematurely. During my visit, I discovered that many of the women who had died were suffering from fibroid—a condition that seemed to be taking a significant toll on their health.

Driven by a newfound sense of purpose, I sought guidance from one of my lecturers at the University of Ghana’s Chemistry Department, Dr. Kweku Kyeremeh (now Professor Kweku Kyeremeh). I pitched an idea to him: to conduct a chemical investigation into a particular plant, Ageratum conyzoides, which my uncle had been using to treat some of the women suffering from fibroid in our village. He graciously agreed to supervise the project, which became my final year project.