Former presidential candidate and political economist, Prof Pat Utomi, has shared the frightening details of how doctors once thought he was dead.
Thirty-five years after the serious accident that almost claimed his life, Utomi said he was rushed to Boromeo Hospital in Onitsha after the accident near Asaba, which claimed the life of his driver.
According to him, doctors attending to him told the Chief of Surgery that there was nothing more they could do because he had no pulse and was not breathing.
“35 years ago, doctors at Boromeo Hospital in Onitsha told the Chief of Surgery that they had lost me.
“No pulse. No breathing,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Utomi said the doctor insisted that efforts to save his life should continue, even when it appeared that he was already dead.
“But the surgeon refused to give up. He insisted on fighting on, determined to at least ‘fulfill all righteousness,’” he said.
He said the medical team later discovered that he was still alive and quickly took him into surgery to stop the internal bleeding caused by the accident.
“Then, against all expectations, they found me alive and proceeded with surgery to stop the internal bleeding caused by an accident near Asaba the night before.
“The accident had already claimed the life of my driver,” he added.
The former presidential candidate also revealed that the incident has made July a special month for his family, as they use the period to give thanks to God for his survival.
“July will always be a month of non-stop thanksgiving in my family,” he said.
Utomi also remembered another frightening experience years later when he was caught up in the July 7, 2005, terrorist attacks in London.
The attacks involved bombings on three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus. Fifty-two civilians and four attackers were killed, while hundreds of others were injured.
Looking back at both experiences, Utomi said they had strengthened his faith and reminded him of the importance of being grateful to God.
“Looking back at it all, one thing is certain: if God is with you, you have everything.
“Gratitude to my Maker,” he wrote.
