Funke Bucknor, a prominent Nigerian lawyer and entrepreneur, recently revealed that she had to enter therapy after her sister passed away a year after her father’s demise. In a candid chat with media personality Chude Jideonwo, she shared how the tragedy affected both her personal life and her thriving business.
In her words, “I cried after my sister passed [away]. I wasn’t dealing with that properly. A lot of people wouldn’t know, but I wasn’t dealing with that properly. And I had to go [for] counselling.”
Funke continued to recount the painful details, “My dad passed [away], then my sister passed [away] a year after my daddy passed. When my dad passed, he was older. So, I just thought he was seventy-something; he has lived a good life. I don’t really think much of it. I was a bit angry because the hospital didn’t tell us he was dying. That happened, then Tosin passed.”
It wasn’t until the passing of her beloved sister that Funke’s coping mechanisms crumbled. She reveals, “When Tosin died, I was angry, I said: ‘Why would God take my sister?’ We are just two children; I’m the firstborn. My mummy lost two children before Tosin when they were young; now she has lost three children. I was angry with God because, three days before her death, I was at a revival. I was praying, serious prayers. So I said, ‘God, why didn’t you show me that my sister was going to die?’ I was very angry.”
This traumatic experience led Funke to seek help through therapy. During a counseling session last year, she was finally able to confront her feelings of grief and anger.
Funke Bucknor’s story is a reminder that even the most successful and seemingly put-together individuals are not immune to life’s challenges. Her openness about her mental health journey serves as an inspiration to anyone struggling with grief, loss, and anger.
