Renowned Nollywood actor, Zack Orji has shared his experience that made him go through two brain surgeries in Nigeria.
Orji in an interview on Channels TV on Sunday narrated the events that unfolded when he slumped in the bathroom, leading to a critical medical emergency.
“I slumped in the bathroom, and I can only say that it’s by the grace of God that I’m alive today because I passed out. I was out for like five and a half hours before help came,” Orji shared.
Considering the severity of the situation, Orji’s friend, Bala Ahmed, was contacted, by people at Orji’s house, while he was in the UK, at that time. This led to a swift response from colleagues who responded to his aid.
Orji recounted, “Benedict Johnson rushed to the house, and I was there on the floor, incoherent. I couldn’t even stand because when he raised me, I slumped again, and he had to call another colleague whom we call Labista. So the two of them lifted me on their shoulders from the second floor to the ground floor and took me to the National Hospital.”
After getting update of the news, on January 1st, Orji’s wife, who was in Lagos at the time, flew to Abuja.
A neurosurgeon, Dr. Biodun Ogungbo, performed the first surgery and
Orji hailed him, saying, “He’s an awesome guy.”
After scans revealed a residual blood clot, a month later, Orji underwent a second surgery by the same doctor.
Orji noted that he received support from prominent figures, including the President of Nigeria, the President’s wife, the Vice President’s wife, the President’s son, and various ministers.
He said, “But in all of it, I’m grateful to God Almighty and I’m also grateful to so many people who stepped in. The President of Nigeria, the First Lady, the wife to the Vice President, the President’s son, the Minister for Women’s Affairs, the Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, the Minister for Works, and a whole lot of other people.
“I was receiving calls from South Africa, from the UK, from the US, from some of them were willing to, they were asking me, how can we help? How can we be of assistance? So it was overwhelming the way people responded to the whole thing,” Orji expressed.
After his recovery in Nigeria, Orji was advised to seek post-surgery assessment in the UK, where he consulted with Dr. John Yeh.
“I’m grateful to God Almighty and I’m also grateful to so many people who stepped in,” Orji stated.
