The celebrity lifestyle usually has us fans thinking all of our favourite celebrities have a million dollars to take care of whatever needs they may have. This is often not the case and, more often than not, we only realise it when celebrities seek public support for health issues. More importantly, fans are oblivious to the fact that their favourite artistes are also regular people who fall sick.
Fortunately, some of them do make it out of these challenges and they represent the definition of human resilience. We’ve made a list of 5 Nigerian celebrities who have overcome serious, potentially life-threatening health challenges. Check them out:
Paul Play Dairo: In 2009, while shooting a video in South Africa, singer and producer Paul Play Dairo fell ill and had to be hospitalized. He would later find out that he had a tumor on his kidney but little did he know the illness would keep him out of the limelight for the next seven years. He eventually beat it and returned to making gospel music and producing records.
Tekno: As a producer and singer, Tekno has had a lot of success considering he has never officially released a full length project. But at the height of his success in 2018, he suddenly dropped out of the limelight. He later revealed that he had been dealing with an illness which was affecting his vocal chords. Just under a year later, in an August 2019 interview with radio host Daddy Freeze, Tekno revealed that he had been battling with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and going through a surgical procedure called Esophagogastric dissociation. Thankfully, he overcame the condition and is back to making hits.
Wole Soyinka: At an Ebola conference held in Ogun State, the Nobel laureate told the story of how he was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in December 2013 and his journey through treatment. Fortunately, he began treatment immediately after the diagnosis and 10 months later, he had beaten the disease. Today, he is still doing what he does best: being the great Wole Soyinka.
Ngozi Nwosu: Known for her iconic role as Peaceful Peace in the legendary Fuji House of Commotion series and the original Living in Bondage movie, fans were disappointed to hear that she had fallen ill to a kidney ailment in 2012. She later flew abroad for treatment and successfully beat the ailment. Now, she is back to doing movies as well as landing a new telecom endorsement.
Banky W: Years before he became a music mogul, Banky W had to treat a rare strain of skin cancer tumors on his shoulder. He had two surgeries then, only for the cancer to return ten years later. Fortunately, Mr. Capable was able to beat the disease after undergoing a third surgery in 2017. Today, he is fit as a fiddle and back to doing his thing.
They say life is precious and any of these celebrities can definitely attest to that. We wish them many more years in the limelight contributing to the growth of society. We should all also take these examples as a lesson to take care of ourselves and understand that celebrities are just like us.