Former NSMQ ‘Shark’ with 5As in WASSCE Shares His Painful Story of Living with Bipolar Disorder (Video)

• Ningwie Leonard Lanyeli, a former National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) contestant, has shared his experiences with bipolar disorder
• His childhood ambition to become a medical doctor was dashed due to financial constraints and the condition
• In a lengthy interview with JoyNews, the 33-year-old described his harrowing experience dealing with mental illness

Ningwie Leonard Lanyeli, a former National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) contestant who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 2, has spoken up about his academic abilities and predicament.

The 33-year-old graduated with an overall grade point average of 8 from Ganaa Memorial Junior High School and St. Xavier Seminary Senior High School.

Ningwie Leonard Lanyeli's childhood dream to become a doctor

JoyNews reports that long before he left senior high school, he was popularly referred to as ‘Dr' Ningwie Leonard Lanyeli, because of his childhood desire to become a medical doctor.

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His childhood ambition, however, was dashed after senior high school when he dropped out of school.

“I had an aggregate 8 in both my junior high and secondary education. I sometimes get disappointed because I have done it all and nothing came out of it,” Leonard recounted.

Ningwie Leonard Lanyeli dashed ambition

The General Science student gained admission to the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to study medicine but his parents could not afford to pay his fees.

“I gained admission to read medicine at the University of Cape Coast at the cost of GHC4,100 a year and my father was a teacher who couldn’t afford to pay the fees,'' he recalled.

Lanyeli said he opted to read Optometry (Dr.) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he performed admirably well in his first four years.

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“You can go to KNUST and check my academic background; I was doing very well until this mental health issue came up,'' he said.

Per JoyNews, Lanyeli was among the team of students who represented St. Francis Xavier in the National Science and Maths Quiz in 2007.

Ningwie Leonard Lanyeli's mother's claim about how he had the condition

His 60-year-old mother, Ninwie Gladys, claimed that one of Leonard’s university friends took him to his home town and he returned with the condition.

“I had a hint that a friend at the university took Leo to his home town and he came back with this condition,” she said.

In 2013, Lanyeli interrupted his undergraduate studies to receive treatment at the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital. He was then given the diagnosis with Bipolar Disorder 2.

After a successful recovery procedure, Leonard later made a brief return to the institution in 2014 to resume his studies. Despite his situation, he promises to return to school if the chance arises.

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Watch his interview below:

Joyce Dzidzor Mensah transforms mentally challenged man

Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh previously reported that former Ghanaian HIV/AIDS advocate Joyce Dzidzor Mensah expertly altered the appearance of a mentally handicapped guy.

The social media influencer with a base in Germany organized some people to find and cultivate Emmanuel Opoku.

Source: YEN.com.gh