Once Upon a Life

When a Nigerian-born doctor in America caught a ride to New Jersey with a colleague, he had no idea that the ride would culminate not in a physical destination but in interception by the FBI, who had been investigating the colleague for his involvement in federal crimes. What followed was a years-long battle with the law as he attempted to rise from his disadvantaged position and prove his innocence. He was David and the U.S. government was Goliath, and he was in for the battle of a lifetime-a battle he had to win. Tracing his origins in the slums of Lagos to his years of academic excellence, eventual doctorate in medicine from a United States college, and his incarceration for a crime he knew nothing about, Once Upon a Life details the turning point in Frank Fashina's life that sent him back to Nigeria as he fled the law and his attempts to rebuild both his personal and professional lives. His search for opportunities in systems and societies with long-held prejudices against color, race, tribe and creed are explored, as is his return to the United States to face the law and fight for his American-born wife and children, who could not survive the hardships in his home country. Once Upon a Life is the story of a true survivor, who clawed his way up from the bottom and refused to let his struggles define him.

When Frank Fashina escaped the ghettos of Lagos to study medicine in America, he thought the opportunity guaranteed him a position of success in his life and society. Hardly had he become a medical doctor than a twist of fate tossed him into the hands of the law when he was implicated in a crime he did not commit. Losing hope in the American justice system, he fled to Nigeria, only to return to America in order to save his marriage to his American wife and to offer a better life for his children. He expected that the sacrifice would guarantee a better life for his family, but surprises awaited him in a convoluted pathway, even after winning his battle against the American government. As more trials and tribulations took turns to assail him, his faith and tenacity was put to test, but failure was not an option.