Sometime last year while watching an event on local Television one
evening and seeing Julius Agwu endorse the programme at the end of the
show, one could not help but mention to somebody the next day saying "I
saw Julius Agwu on TV last night and he wasn't looking good. I suspect
he's ill or could it be stress? I asked and the person responded that it
could be stress or maybe ill but may however not want people to know.
The entire discuss ended with us hoping and praying that it should just
be stress which he would eventually get over.
This
morning, when yours sincerely stumbled on his interview Yes
International Magazine on him having gone through surgery for brain
tumour recently, it didn't really come as a surprise because many of his
fans had noticed his weight loss and frail looks during his last social
outings.
Read below as culled from Yes International:
7
minutes had just jumped past the hour of 12 when I arrived his
residence (in highbrow Lekki Phase 1, Lagos) that Sunday, June 21, 2015.
It was drizzling and so the street looked deserted. A hard knock on his
gate and the security man came rushing out; sleepy-eyed and of course
sad. In fact, so sad because his sleep had been rudely interrupted. With
the frown still occupying his face, he asked who I wanted to see; I
said Julius and he went back to his room. However, before he could reach
him on the intercom, I already had Julius’ voice on my phone, which I
handed over to him. ‘Open!’ He said, and the security man immediately
ushered me into the compound, and from there the sitting room.
Sumptuously and stylishly furnished, I was still admiring and
appreciating the painstaking effort it must have taken to put that
together when my friend and brother, Julius Chinweikpe Agwu, sauntered
in. Obviously looking better and healthier, fresher but slightly
bearded, we quickly exchange pleasantries; then talked about this and
that; thanked God for His mercies before ultimately delving into the
business of the day – his ill health.
For months, it would be
recalled, the Choba, Rivers dude who created musicomedy, a genre of
music and comedy that was hitherto unknown to this part of the world,
had been losing weight, losing colour and losing so many other things.
Friends and family members were concerned. Fans and clients also
panicked. Of course, the rumour mill swiftly went agog. With tales of
HIV, kidney and cancer spreading in hush tones. Some reckless bloggers
even put it on the social media, but the serious and respected ones,
those who play by the rules of the game, chose not to. And preferring
instead to confirm before publishing.
YES INTERNATIONAL!
Magazine therefore couldn’t wait to sit face to face with the ace
comedian and ask him what exactly was wrong. Which eventually happened
that Sunday afternoon. For the first time since the whole health drama
started, the Theatre Arts graduate of the University of Port Harcourt
opened up to us: “Onyeoma, see your brother!” He had begun as our bodies
collided in a warm embrace. “This is just God at work and that is why I
will forever thank Him…”
On
the genesis of his ill health, he said he can’t say specifically when
and how it started. But all he could recollect was that at some point,
he went on and on losing serious weight, which got many people
wondering. Some concerned ones started proffering solutions, both
medically and spiritually, while others resorted to murmuring and
gossiping.
It went on and on until sometime in May when he
had a seizure at home and while his wife, Ibiere, whom he lavished with
so much thanks all through our stay for her love, care, understanding
and support, battled to halt that, he ran out of breath. Almost
lifeless. And with the likely consequences starring her in the face,
Ibiere got their maid and the security man to assist her in getting him
into one of their cars. And from there, they practically sprinted to
their hospital in Lekki.Thank God the doctor was on call. He battled for
hours with his team to ‘bring him back to life again’. And upon
stabilizing him, Julius and his wife immediately left for the United
States of America. Houston to be precise, where arrangement had been
made at the Park Plaza Hospital. After a series of tests, two lumps were
discovered in his brain! The lumps had been messing up his health and
causing his incessant weight loss. Immediately, the Caucasian surgeons
went to work, operating on him for about 4 hours on Tuesday, May 12,
2015, at the Park Plaza Hospital in Houston Texas, United States of
America. Upon being discharged, Julius rested in the US for sometime
before returning home recently.
Currently putting things
together for the 10th anniversary of his annual Crack Ya Ribs in London,
the father of two (Zhara and Zadok) told YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine
that all through the time he was medically down, he was always thinking
about what would become of his wife and children should anything go
wrong. “Onyeoma, I no go lie to you, na dem I just dey think about. But
like I said earlier, it’s God at work. I want to thank everybody who
supported me in one way or the other. Those that were praying for me and
all that.
I’m
planning a thanksgiving where I will still tell the full story. But for
now, I just want to thank God and my wife. Onyeoma! My wife tried. The
day I had the seizure, she put her finger in my mouth and I bit it…All
the vomit; the mess; she was the one brushing and bathing me on the bed
and clearing and cleaning them. IB really, really tried for me”. A smile
immediately erupted on the face of IB who was sitting adjacent us and
also listening to her husband narrate his story. His two children who
were also nearby immediately made for where we were sitting and started
crawling all over us. And as if on cue, Julius quipped in an emotional
voice: “Onyeoma, wetin for happen like say…” And he left it hanging
there. I remembered I hadn’t had my breakfast then, having come straight
from the church. I voiced this out and the wife arranged something for
us to eat, and as we ate and discussed, Julius just kept thanking,
appreciating and saluting God for the miracle He just did in his family,
his life, his career and everything.
Source: Yesmagazine
