Veteran Nollywood actor, Zack Orji, has shared a harrowing experience that resulted in his close encounter with death.
The actor recounted some incidents that resulted in undergoing two major brain surgeries.
Orji revealed that all his woes began after he slumped in the bathroom one fateful day.
“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.”
Zack Orji
According to Zack Orji, his friend Bala Ahmed, who was in the UK at the time was alerted by some persons from his (Orji’s) house, prompting a swift response from his colleagues as well.
“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.”
Zack Orji
Also, the actor’s wife who was in Lagos then, flew to Abuja upon receiving the news. On January 1, 2024, Dr. Biodun Ogungbo, a neurosurgeon, performed the first surgery.
Narrating further, he stated that a month later, scans revealed a residual blood clot and he had to undergo a second surgery.
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.
Orji, however, acknowledged the huge support he has since received from his friends, colleagues, and some prominent figures.
“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 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.”
Zack Orji
Debunks Death Rumours
Zack Orji refuted reports of his death after receiving a medical evaluation in the UK.
The veteran actor had earlier undergone two brain surgeries before traveling to the UK for some medical evaluation.
Zack Orji described the rumor as a lie from the pit of hell.
“I don’t know who originated that lie, I call it a lie from the pit of hell that…well not myself, they had passed away. I saw it and I started receiving all kinds of calls, even calls from people I hadn’t heard from for years, most of them were just concerned, they wanted to find out if it was true and all of that.
“I can only say that sometimes social media has made people so reckless and callous to the point of spreading fake news just to grow their page.”
Zack Orji
The President of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Chief Emeka Rollas also debunked rumors about the actor’s death by taking to his Facebook page to dismiss the reports.
The falsehood was being peddled days after another veteran actor, Amaechi Muonagor, passed away after suffering kidney disease.
READ ALSO: NDC Parliamentary Candidate Calls for Youth Action
