Hale, hearty he flies back to Nigeria

The 63-year-old Executive Director of the Nigerian Television Authority was told that a cardiac bypass at his age could be dangerous in Egypt, while in London he was advised medication before coming back for treatment.

In Saudi Arabia, the doctors had asked him to once again take medication to reduce the clotting in his heart. Since 2002, Abubarkar has been travelling around to find a solution, when finally on advice of his friends, landed in Bangalore.

Admitted to Fortis Hospital in the City, the lanky and tall Nigerian was sent for a series of tests to identify whether it was necessary to undergo a bypass surgery. To his dismay and shock, apart from the need to have a cardiac surgery, Abubarkar was also diagnosed to be suffering from liver tumour.

After seven hours of gruelling surgery conducted in the last week of April and 20 days later, Abubarkar is all set to catch his flight back home on Tuesday.

“I feel completely cured. Earlier, I would pant to walk a few feet and start sweating profusely. Now, I feel rejuvenated,” he said.

A combined team of cardiac surgeons - Dr Vivek Jawali and Dr Ramcharan Thiagarajan, consultant surgical GI and hepato-pancreatic biliary surgeon, who conducted the surgery was able to remove six blockages and also remove the coronary artery disease.

The surgery, claimed to be the first in terms of combining cardiac bypass and liver surgery, in the doctors own words was ‘risky’. “Both the surgeries were high risk surgery and to perform both in the same sitting was a challenge which our team undertook and successfully accomplished,” said Dr Jawali.

With a new lease of life, Abubarkar is all ready to live a extended life thanks to the surgery. “I am eagerly awaiting to fly back home to see my children and spend my time with them,” he said.