Laughing through the pain: Zibusiso Ngulube overcomes health struggles to publish new book

Author Zibusiso Ngulube has once again proven her resilience, overcoming personal challenges through her writing. She began the year with a significant achievement, publishing her latest work, Laugh Through It Anyway, a collection of poems, short stories, and puns.

Her previous works include Write: Your Ultimate Journey to Becoming a Professional Writer, The War in the Writer’s Mind, How to Become a Consistent Writer, and Thoughts of Progress: A Book of Poems.

In an interview, Ngulube shared that the journey to creating her latest book was not without its hurdles. She started writing Laugh Through It Anyway in March 2024, but her progress was interrupted by serious health complications.
“They say you have to lose yourself to find yourself. That’s exactly what happened to me in 2024 when I was fighting for my life. I was battling an unexplainable and unknown illness, but I knew that God was still in control,” she said.

She had originally planned to release her fifth book on skills development in November 2024, but her health setback led her to pause the project after completing five chapters.
“Despite the doctor advising me to rest, I couldn’t stop writing. It’s always been my escape,” she said.

“The doctor told me to clear my head, eat healthier, relax, exercise a bit more, and avoid taxing my brain. But I knew that the only way to deal with the chaos around me was to lean on my escape – writing.”

As her health worsened, Ngulube found new motivation to try something entirely different. Known for her work in non-fiction, particularly in business, technology, self-help, and autobiography, she took a leap into the world of humour writing.
“Since I wasn’t allowed to strain my brain, writing was something I wasn’t supposed to do. But my escape never disappoints. So, I had to find a way to balance writing with maintaining my physical and mental health.”

Embracing the challenge, Ngulube decided to explore humour writing, despite never having ventured into this genre before.
“They say laughter is the best medicine, so I put that to the test. I decided to do something completely different from what I had ever done – write a humour book.”
“I have over a decade of experience in the literary field, mainly focusing on business, technology, self-help, and autobiography. Never in my life did I think I would be a humour writer, but as I always say, God’s plans are different from ours. His plans are to prosper us and give us an expected end, as Jeremiah 29:11 says,” she shared.

Ngulube credits God for inspiring her to write a humour book that would help her manage her illness and find joy through the process.
“I believe God put it in me to write a humour book to ease the pain and help me not to dwell on the illness I had,” she said.

She started working on Laugh Through It Anyway in April 2024, as her health continued to decline. Despite the physical and mental challenges she faced, she wrote as much as she could each day, often completing one joke, short story, or poem at a time.
“The writing was my strength and, with each passing day, I regained more power. By November 2024, my health began improving, and by January 2025, I completed the book,” she shared.

“I give all the glory to God for His indescribable gift. I don’t know how, but I know He did it through me, for me, and for anyone who benefits from this book.”

The author hopes her book brings comfort and joy to its readers.
“My aim is to make you laugh, give you a reason to smile, and ease whatever pain you are feeling. I hope this book finds you in time,” she concluded.