Nollywood veteran actor Zack Orji has opened up about his struggles with health and medical issues, News About Nigeria reports.
The actor recounted what he passed through while fighting for his life in an interview with Channels TV on Sunday.
Recall that Zack had slumped in the bathroom, leading to a critical medical emergency on December 31, 2023.
His friend, Bala Ahmed, who was in the UK at the time, was alerted by people at Orji’s house, prompting a swift response from colleagues who hurriedly came to his aid.
Recounting his ordeal, the actor revealed that he was unconscious for about five hours before help came and then had to undergo two brain surgeries in Nigeria.
“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.”
The actor said, “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,” he said.
He stated that the first surgery had been performed by a neurosurgeon, Dr. Biodun Ogungbo, before scans revealed a month later, a residual blood clot, and had to undergo a second surgery performed by Dr. Ogungbo.
He expressed his gratitude to all those who supported him during the ordeal, including President Bola Tinubu, the First Lady, the Minister for Women’s Affairs, the Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy, the Minister for Works, among others.
“I was receiving calls from South Africa, from the UK, from the US. 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,” he added.
However, after his recovery in Nigeria, the actor was advised to seek post-surgery assessment in the UK, where he consulted with Dr. John Yeh.
