Famous comedian Atunyota Akpobome, who everyone calls Ali Baba, shared his story about how he became a father of triplets at the age of 59.
He said that he and his wife, Mary, wanted to have one more child, specifically a son.
Ali Baba mentioned on the Leadership Podcast that Mary really wanted another son, especially since their other children had moved abroad for school.
The couple thought about adopting kids at first, but then they decided to try to have their own baby instead.
They went for In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). The plan was to fertilize two eggs and hope that at least one would lead to a pregnancy.
Ali Baba shared: “Mary always wanted a son. We talked about it because she had two daughters already.
“I didn’t want to keep doing school runs and attending PTA meetings in my old age. But when our kids left for school abroad, we felt the house was too quiet.
“Mary even thought about adopting 2 or 3 kids. But one day, she said, ‘Why not try for our own?’ I was worried about the economy. But she asked, ‘You still pay rent and school fees for others, right?’ I said yes.
“We run the Purple Girl Foundation, helping over 120 kids from primary school to university. Plus, we pay for some kids to go to law school. Mary asked, ‘If you do all this, why worry about money when it comes to our own child?’
“She said maybe God put us in this position to help others, not just ourselves. So we agreed to try for one. But she suggested we try two, because IVF sometimes fails.
“The plan was to have two, but one egg split into two, so it became three. Mary and the doctor knew, but they didn’t tell me at first. She said, ‘Sometimes when you ask God for one million, He gives you two million. You don’t know how God will bless you.’
“When she finally told me, I was surprised. I thought we would have two children, but now we have three boys!”