27th April, 2024
By Oluwapelumi Oluwayemi
Actor Zack Orji has shared the harrowing ordeal that led to his collapse, fight for survival, and eventual journey to recovery.
In an interview with Punch, he recounted the frightening moment when he lost consciousness in a bathroom, while staying at the home of his friend Ahmed Bala, who was abroad at the time.
Concerned neighbours alerted Bala, prompting him to contact fellow actor Benedict Johnson for assistance.
Johnson discovered Orji on the floor, whereupon Orji briefly regained consciousness before collapsing again.
With the help of another colleague, Emmanuel Ehumadu, Orji was transported to the National Hospital in Abuja.
He said, “I passed out in the bathroom and my friend, Ahmed Bala, in whose house it happened, was in the United Kingdom at the time. He got a call from his neighbours telling him that they had been knocking on his door, but there was no answer. So, he had to call another actor, Benedict Johnson, to come to the house and find out what the problem was. Benedict then came to the house, walked up to the room and saw me on the floor.
“He raised me, but I slumped again, so he had to call another colleague, Emmanuel Ehumadu, aka Labista. Both of them then lifted me from the second floor to the ground floor, and took me to the National Hospital in Abuja. They notified my friend immediately about what had happened. By that time, I had been unconscious for about five and a half hours. You can see that it was God who kept me alive till help came. That was how my journey through this discomfiture started”.
Orji emphasized the role of timely intervention and God’s providence in his survival, as he had been unconscious for over five hours by the time help arrived.
Reflecting on the events leading up to his collapse, Orji revealed that he had experienced no prior symptoms.
However, on December 25, 2023, while visiting the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Orji suddenly lost his balance.
It was only thanks to the swift support of Johnson and Ehumadu that he avoided a fall.
This incident served as a precursor to his later health crisis, prompting immediate action from the Minister, who informed Orji’s wife, leading to her swift arrival from Lagos to be by his side at the National Hospital.
He said, “I really did not feel anything. But, something happened on December 25, 2023. Benedict Johnson, Labista and I had gone to visit the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, and all of a sudden, I lost my balance.
“I actually did not know how it happened. It was Benedict and Labista that told me later that if they had not been by my side, I would have fallen backwards. They were the ones who supported me. I would say that was a sign of what happened later on. They notified the Minister immediately, and she called my wife, who flew in from Lagos the next day, to be with me at the National Hospital”.