NSE IKPE-ETIM – THE PAIN OF LOSING MY WOMB AND THE JOURNEY THAT LED ME BACK TO HEALING

There was a time in my life when the lights, the cameras, and the applause could not fill the silence inside me. I was living every actor’s dream, yet my heart was sinking quietly.

In 2016, I sat in a doctor’s office and heard the words that changed my life forever: “Nse, you will never be able to carry a child.”

I was diagnosed with adenomyosis, a condition that made my womb my enemy. The only way to stay alive was to remove it completely. I remember going home, sitting in front of the mirror, and asking myself, “Who am I now?”

For years, I had tied my identity to the idea of one day being a mother. So when that possibility was taken from me, I felt like a part of me died too. I cried until there were no more tears left. I stopped acting for a while because I couldn’t pretend to be strong on screen when I was breaking inside.

But life has a way of showing you light through the cracks. My husband,stood by me through every storm. He never made me feel “less.” He would look at me and say, “Nse, you are enough.” Those words saved me.

Healing wasn’t instant. It took time, therapy, prayer, and acceptance. I had to learn that womanhood isn’t defined by a womb, but by courage, compassion, and the ability to rise again.

Today, when I stand in front of the camera, I no longer act from a place of pain. I act from purpose. My art is how I live life now. I tell stories that heal, stories that remind women they are whole, with or without children.I lost my womb, but It didn’t stop me from moving forward .