For those of you who listen to “Sharing Life’s Issues” on 92.3 Inspiration FM, 7-8pm, Mondays to Fridays, you may have already heard about OAP Chaz B’s testimony. Chaz, (Charles Bruce Chukuma) who is the anchor of the show, had been absent for nine months, leaving Dan Foster and Wana wana to attempt to fit into his very big shoes! I’m so happy to tell you that he’s back now and that he actually shared his testimony on air; he had been diagnosed with ADH (Acute Kidney Disease). Heres’s his testimony:
“My kidney journey started about March 2011. I woke up both legs were swollen I could hardly walk. I remember I missed, at that time, maybe a couple of weeks at work. After some medical medications it looked like all was well.
We travelled up to Cotonu, Benin Republic with the family and visited a Restaurant. After like two days, found a good Nigerian restaurant. And we were so happy because the food was not agreeing with us (no disrespect to anybody from Benin Republic). So we finally found this Nigerian restaurant and it was like wow!
So we sat down, just as the food arrived, I just felt myself, as the waiter was putting the food on the table, before my wife, daughter and brother, I just felt myself suddenly slumping in the chair and in a few seconds, just saw myself…I thought Monalisa (his daughter)was lifting off the ground, It was so funny. But it wasn’t really…I saw myself just going upwards, it looked like a very dark tunnel and I was travelling relatively fast, I turned around quickly and I saw myself lying, slumped on the chair, so the family shouted for help.
Well, I could see people gathering around my body but I was going further and further away from it. I continued upwards until I saw a bright light at the end of that tunnel. It was hard to see, but as I came out that bright light was so bright I tell you it was so beautiful there, that’s what I can tell you; flowers were extraordinary, different colours, never seen them before. I was trying to adjust because the brightness of the light was almost like being in front of the sun and I could see some kind of silhouette, but I couldn’t make it out.
So I just kept my head down, a Voice said, “Son why are you here?” I was still confused because I was still thinking no no what is going on? I said nothing, I was confused totally and then He said “It is not time yet, go back, we still have a long mission to accomplish, go back my son”. I remember my spirit wanted to argue because I felt peace! Almost for the first time in my life, I didn’t really want to go back anywhere, but he insisted it’s not yet time and then all of a sudden I started to drift like falling backwards until I saw the people just praying around my body. Shouting “Jesus” “Jesus”.
And I remember re-entering into my body, like wearing a suit, it just felt really really strange, I cannot even describe that in words. Well that was actually my second experience with death, because at 10 ½ yrs in London I drowned and I was revived like seven minutes later.
I came back and I resumed work and all of a sudden, this thing, fainting spells; I just started fainting. In a meeting we had I fainted; My CEO was scared. I started throwing up every meal for some time. Almost for two months I would just throw up everything I eat. I couldn’t keep anything in the stomach and then I was admitted at Rodeen hospital for a week and then I was diagnosed with AKD (Acute Kidney Disease).
This was how my journey started with kidney failure and that’s how I started dialysis Monday, Wednesday and Friday; four hours on the machine. (You lose like 2-3kg every single time you have dialysis)…And then I was still coming to work for 8months. I just would come to work. God would give me the strength. The devil wanted me to stop but I refused to stop.
Then in December (2011) was when I announced to you I’ll be on a long vacation. So I travelled to India with my family and a donor (kidney).
About a month and a week here’s this donor that was certified by a certain Doctor in Magodo…This guy was actually cleared as good to go, I paid N385,000 for the process. But do you know when I took this guy with me to India, He was totally unqualified and he had so many medical issues of his own, the Indian Doctors advised me to send him back to Nigeria. And I had to…Anyway we sent the donor back to Nigeria. Suddenly, I had this thought “should I return to Nigeria and start this whole journey again?” and I said No. God did not bring me all this way only to start the journey again.
So few days later the Doctor came into the room and asked what blood group my wife was and she said “O positive” and the doctor just had a big smile on his face and left the room. In the evening that day, he invited us to his office and asked her if she will be willing to donate her kidney. I was shocked because I never thought of it; that’s why I took a donor and paid over a million naira to him. I just was shocked. But do you know without even thinking about it, she said “That’s what I’ve been telling him”. And she had for six months and I was like “no way” “no way”. And do you know that day without reservation, she did it; she was willing, she said yes and now, you know, we did tests and the DNA testing among others, showed that we were found to be almost 96% compatible. 96%! Just to show you how great God is. How great is Jehovah! She became my donor and today I have a second chance at life “because she lives in me!”
After 5 ½ months in India, we returned home rejoicing over the new kidney and we felt victorious. Guess what? 2 ½ to 3weeks later another condition arose from the whole issue; it’s called a post-transplant situation. It’s tagged or named Lymphocele; like a retention of fluid in the body, causing the swelling of the abdomen and in my own case the whole right leg got swollen again.
After more money spent at St Nicholas Hospital, the doctors advised me, since I had just come back from India a couple of months, “why don’t you just go back there? It’s easier. We can do it here at St. Nicholas, but you just came back. Go back there”. So I started another plan, returned to India, thinking the procedure would be simple, fast and corrective. They looked at the scan, my Indian doctor felt “okay, it seems to be this way” but he was going on vacation, so I had to wait a couple of weeks till he got back and he asked me to come.
Now once he x-rayed and scanned again, a team of surgeons carefully looked at my case and decided to open me up, that’s right. So from just beneath my chest here, cut all the way down past my navel, opened me up and I had to have not one, but now two major surgeries again to correct the lymphocele. Well after surgery bowel movement was near impossible, my intestines were twisted and it wasn’t pretty. They decided that I could have no food and only little sips of water with medication was ordered for me and lasted 30days! Like a joke…30days, I lay on my back the whole time, according to the doctors’ order and it was not easy because I love food, Like Dan Foster, I love food. Finally with much prayers, from my wife, who had now arrived, and of cause all of you who were consistent in your love, prayers and support…The bowels straightened out and started moving and healing took place finally. And God again, If He hadn’t come through, I mean I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, but I shall fear no evil…”
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