Ayo Oritsejafor, founder of Word of Life Bible Church, has recounted how he survived cancer and a mysterious infection during a prolonged medical ordeal in the United States.
In a recent video shared on Instagram, the former president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) described the period as one of the toughest moments of his life, revealing that he spent several months receiving treatment abroad.
The cleric did not disclose the specific type of cancer or infection but said doctors initially feared the illness had advanced significantly.
“They said the cancer had spread and there was no hope. Did you know that I went to America and the doctors checked me and said, ‘There is cancer in your body, but we can’t operate now because certain things aren’t right’,” he said.
“And they said ‘go home and come back in three months.’ I asked the doctor, ‘Is it not too long?’ He said, ‘go home and come back.
“I came back, and there was a jubilee, and I was dancing, receiving my visitors, and still helping people. I was still doing my best for God. But there was cancer moving in my body, and nobody knew. I was in pain. I was laughing. I was smiling. Do you think it is easy for these pillars to hold this building? We finished our jubilee. I took the next flight out because I was in pain.”
Oritsejafor said further tests later showed that the cancer had not spread to his bones, giving doctors the confidence to proceed with treatment.
“The doctor checking my bones happened to be a Pentecostal pastor. He took a sample and said he had equipment that would do it very fast, and that I should sit down,” he said.
“About an hour later, he came back dancing. I couldn’t understand it, so I asked, ‘doctor, why are you dancing?’ He said, ‘join me and dance’. I got up and started dancing, but I said, ‘doctor, I really don’t know why I am dancing’.
“’There is no cancer in your bones, and we can still do something. You are going to beat this, man of God,’ he said. And I said, ‘I know that.’ I was lying on my bed for months. They discharged me, and I went home.”
According to him, a man identified simply as Bayo stayed with him throughout the period despite warnings from hospital officials about the risks involved.
“Bayo was the only one with me. I had told him that I didn’t like people travelling with me when I was going to America. I liked being free and being myself. Before I knew it, he had bought a ticket,” he said.
“They had to rush me back to the emergency ward. They checked and said there was an infection they had never seen before and did not know where it came from. There was no explanation.
“They looked at all the drugs they had and said none of them could do anything. They had to open me up again, but the oldest doctor said, ‘don’t open him up. If you open him up, he will die’.
“He said, ‘give me two days.’ Then he left. On the second day, he came back with two antibiotics and said, ‘try this one’. They tried it for two days, three days, four days and five days, and nothing happened.
“They had never tried it on anyone before. Then he said, ‘I have one more. Try this one’. They tried the second one. First day, second day, third day, and by the fourth day, it was working. The doctor said, ‘my God, this is something else’.”
The cleric also disclosed that his medical expenses rose to approximately $120,000 during the treatment period.
Oritsejafor said after recovery, doctors advised him to remain in the US briefly because he had lost significant weight and needed to regain strength before returning to Nigeria.
