Veteran Actor Jagger Pee at the hospital
After a heart attack nearly took him to his grave last year, the Veteran actor, Jagger Pee, born Abeiku Nyame, cannot stop praising God for giving him another chance to live as a happy man once again.
Last Tuesday, September 26, was exactly one year since the Obra actor had a surgery to replace two out of his four heart valves with artificial ones.
The non-functioning valves had been destroyed due to the enlargement of his heart caused by a hypertensive condition.
When the media, caught up with him on Tuesday at the National Theatre, Jagger Pee, who described his survival as an act of God, looked so well and was all smiles. “I’m happy to be alive” were his first words when this reporter asked how he was doing.
Recalling his troubles, he said he grew lean over a period last year but didn’t really give it any serious thought since he had not shown any symptoms of sickness.
He went about his normal life until that fateful day when he suffered the heart attack.
“Everything was fine that day. I was part of a live discussion on TV and then we went on break. Just then, I started sweating profusely and I had a severe headache. I couldn’t breathe well and I felt dizzy.
“I was first rushed to the Holy Trinity Hospital at North Kaneshie but I was immediately transferred to the 37 Military hospital.
That was where my heart ailment was revealed but my condition was beyond their capability so I was sent to Korle-bu for further diagnosis by heart specialists.
“Tell me, which human being survives high blood pressure above 280. The heart specialists at Korle-bu and doctors at the 37 Military Hospital were surprised I was still alive when they gave me the diagnosis,” he said.
As if he didn’t have enough problems with his heart condition, the father of three was given further bad news. He had to cough up $20,000 for surgery if he didn’t want to die.
Jagger Pee confessed that, he hadn’t seen such an amount in his life before and wondered how he could raise the money.
Not even an offer by the Ghana Heart Foundation to take up half of the cost was good news since he faced a huge task to raise the remaining GH¢40,000 ($10,000).
However, in his moment of despair, Jagger Pee said God sent a good Samaritan in the person of Prophet Emmanuel Kobi of the Glorious Wave Church to foot the bill.
On September 26, 2016, he had a successful four-hour heart surgery to replace his non-functioning heart valves with artificial ones.
Today, an energetic man is what one immediately sees and Jagger Pee credits the dedicated doctors at the 37 Military and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals for their relentless efforts to keep him alive.
He is also grateful for the role the former First Lady, Lordina Mahama, the media, individuals and friends such as Nii Saka Brown and Edinam Atatsi played in raising funds for his surgery.
