Ayo Oritsejafor, the founder of Word of Life Bible Church, has opened up about his battle with cancer and how he kept it hidden from many people in his church. The clergyman shared a video on his Instagram page where he spoke about the illness and how he was eventually able to overcome it. Although he did not disclose the specific type of cancer, he explained the struggle, the thousands of dollars spent on treatment, and the months he spent bedridden.
Pain Behind the Pulpit
According to him, he was in pain but still had to smile and laugh with people in church. He added that he traveled abroad due to severe pain and was later told the cancer had spread to other parts of his body. The cleric said he returned home and came back after about three months because immediate surgery could not be carried out.
Public Joy, Private Suffering
In the recording, he explained that he returned to Nigeria during a church program known as Jubilee. He said he was singing and dancing publicly while still in severe pain, before taking another flight abroad because the pain became unbearable. The cleric also recounted how a doctor, who is also a cleric, told him they needed to check his bone to see if the cancer had spread. After the test, the doctor reportedly danced and encouraged him to dance as well, assuring him he would overcome the illness since it had not spread to his bones.
Treatment and Recovery
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor further shared that he spent months on treatment and bed rest, but later began to recover. At some point, he could not breathe properly and had to be rushed back to the hospital. According to him, doctors later discovered a serious infection, but said they had no known medication for it at the time. He added that an elderly doctor advised against a planned operation, warning that he might not survive it. The doctor later developed an antibiotic, which initially did not work, but a second treatment eventually worked.
Ayo Oritsejafor also stated that during his illness, strict precautions were taken, and people were advised not to enter his hospital room without proper protection because the infection was unfamiliar and severe. He revealed that he spent over $120,000 on treatment.
Public Reactions
Social media users reacted to the video. @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.' @mr_lapiro wrote: 'Pastor after this talk go and build a hospital in your village… if you have $120k to save your life should have $50-100k to save your village or church member or less your wicked.'
In related news, Apostle Johnson Suleman’s daughter, Divine, had shared a testimony about God’s healing after battling an illness. In a viral video that surfaced online, she explained what she did in an attempt to ease the pain and gave praise to God. She recalled how she underwent almost every medical test possible, except two.
