The founder of the Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has shared how he secretly battled cancer without telling his congregation.
The man of God took to his Instagram page to document the bittersweet experience in a series of posts. He spoke about his struggle with the illness, the huge medical bills he paid, and the months he spent in hospital fighting to get better.
Although he didn’t disclose the type of cancer he had, Pastor Oritsejafor opened up about how difficult the period was and how he eventually overcame it.
According to him, he was in pain but still managed to smile and laugh with people in church.
He further explained that he had to travel abroad because the pain became severe, and while there, he was informed that the cancer had already spread to other parts of his body.
The cleric added that he later returned home and came back again after about three months, noting that immediate surgery could not be done at the time.
In the recording, he also stated that his return to Nigeria coincided with a church programme known as Jubilee. He said that despite being in intense pain, he still sang and danced publicly before eventually flying out again, as the discomfort became unbearable.
Pastor Oritsejafor also shared that one of his doctors, who was a clergyman himself, advised that they run a bone test to check if the cancer had spread.
When the results came back clear, the doctor broke into a dance and urged him to join in. He assured the pastor that his chances were good since the cancer hadn’t reached his bones.
He went on to explain that he spent months undergoing treatment and on bed rest before he started to improve. At one point, his breathing became difficult and he had to be rushed back to the hospital. Doctors later found that he had a severe infection, but they didn’t have an existing drug to treat it at the time.
An older doctor advised against going ahead with a planned operation, saying it was too risky and he might not make it through. Instead, he developed an experimental antibiotic. The first attempt didn’t work, but the second treatment eventually did.
During that period, the hospital took strict safety measures. Visitors were warned not to enter his room without protective gear because the infection was rare and dangerous.
Conclusively, he revealed that he spent over $120,000 (N160,000 million) on his cancer treatment.
Watch the video below:
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Below are some of the reactions to the post:Â
@kaykay_5050 commented: “I wish all our Nigerian churches would start building mega ultra-modern hospitals rather than ultra-modern church auditoriums.”
@wike_monye shared: “They wine yourself, bling bling man.” @vikkison4 reacted: “Why you go hospital, can’t you pray for healing.”
@agbelor_okiako said: “Can you believe that this man is 80 years old? This is what the grace of God looks like.”
@veeystitches_fashion shared: “This hair dye no come too much.”Â
