Popular actress, Lola Alao is one of the Nollywood stars currently based in Canada, she relocated few years ago and has been producing both short and feature movies through Nollywood Ark Canada, which she founded few years ago.
Just few days ago, she shared it on her Instagram page on how she battled and survived the dreaded Covid-19.
According to her “there is a thin line between life and death. Covid-19 is just around your corner, stay safe, my people I am writing this because I got a second chance to live, I tested positive to it but I am fine now. To God be the glory”.
City People Publisher, DR. SEYE KEHINDE interviewed her online to talk about how she got infected and treated herself below is the excerpts.
Can you share with us your experience and how you were able to cure yourself?
First and foremost, I will like to glorify God Almighty for his kindness and giving me a second chance, I am indeed grateful.
What actually happened was that I just realised I was very weak, my mouth was very bitter but I was not coughing but I was really weak that I could not do anything, so I told my kids that it’s like I have fever, due to the pandemic, we don’t visit the hospital as often as it use to be and I called my family doctor who adviced I take some medications, then as time goes on, I became extremely weak then at night I find it very difficult to sleep, I started running temperature and catching cold as well, it got so bad that at a point I told my son Lashe to call 911 the ambulance came, my temperature was very high and I was rushed to the hospital, when I got to the hospital, one of the nurses started asking me very usual questions, she asked if I have chest pain and coughing as well I said no but the only thing I realise is that my taste bud was not working again and I couldn’t smell anything tests on me, checked my kidney and liver, the nurse said everything is okay but the doctor will still need to see me, the doctor came and said I need to run a test for Covid-19, I said no because I was not coughing, he said it is necessary, I was scared because I have heard about the test and I was scared to go through the procedure, I eventually took the test but we don’t get to collect the result immediately, so I was only given medications because my BP was high temperature high, so I was given medication to calm it down, so I was told to go and they will get back to us, few days later my daughter walked into my room and told me, she got a call from the hospital that I tested positive to Covid-19, I just screamed Jesus, but because of the kind of people I have been associating myself with, we have been talking about Covid-19, so I have knowledged about what to do immediately, so they told me it is either I check in into an Isolation Centre or I will remain indoor but I told them I can take care of myself, I told my kids we are in together, no more visitors and they should stay away from me as well, so we started taking the instant honey and ginger drink, we put it inside hot water and drink. I also have a very close friend here called Bisi I called her and told her about my situation so she got a lot of ginger, garlic and lemon for me when the pandemic started, we were taking the ginger, garlic and lemon drink at home but along the line, I realised my ulcer became worst so I had to stop taking them and I am sure the fact that I stopped taking them was wahy I contacted the virus easily, so I had to start taking it again, then my friend went to get pineaple, lemon, grapes cut everything into pieces and cooked it, we started drinking, then I started doing the steaming too, cover myself with blanket, so, I can inhale the hot herbal drink, with that I started coughing, then each time I try brushing, I will start spitting blood, from my experience I realised Covid-19 has different effects on people, each time I sit, it is always as if my legs are heavy, the head is heavy, then I always sweat, then the nurse advice me that whatever treatment I decide to take, I should always include talanol is just like panadol extra.
I kept taking all these including the ginger, garlic and lemon paste which I drop in hot water to take almost every time. My sister Biodun also advised I use the aboniki solution, which I will put inside hot water, cover myself up and inhale but it was very difficult because it goes into my brain immediately, I did all the necessary thing, the experience was really terrible, but I give God Almighty all the glory. I decided to go public about it because many don’t believe Covid-19 is real, then I was surprised when my manager put it up and someone said how much was I paid to say I have it, I just laughed, here in Canada, you will go through test before they can say you have the virus and your result will be sent to your place of work and you won’t be allowed to do anything until you are decided free of the virus again. I decided to voice out because I want the ignorant ones to have a change of mind, when someone very close to me saw it in City People that I will having this interview, the person said it is not true that I never had the virus, I had to send the result of my test to her, then she screamed and said oh, this is true. I just want people to be very careful and take the necessary precaution, I am a witness to the fact that Covid-19 is real. I also have a friend who had the virus before and she had diarrhea as well, in my own case, I couldn’t even go to the toilet, so it has different symtoms in people.
How would you say you got infected?
I know I got it from work.
Were you not protecting yourself?
I did, but you know one can’t be perfect, so I would say I got infected out of carelessness but I am sure I got it from work.
What went through your mind when you realise you were infected?
Honestly, I was scared, I was just begging God to spare my life for the sake of my kids and my family that I am taking care of and give me last chance I was just begging God for forgiveness and spare my life because I am not better than people that didn’t survive it. It was a terrible experience but I thank God for blessing me with a good family, who didn’t relent in their prayers, then Iyabo Ojo, she was there I don’t know how to thank her, if there is going to be another world, she will be my blood sister, she really tried for me then my friend Bisi Alimi, despite knowing my condition, she wanted to come in and take care of me but I didn’t let her she was always going round getting herbs and everything I need. God bless all of them, then my kids despite the fact that I was avoiding them, they didn’t leave me, we were all taking the treatments together, they kept saying mummy, we are all in this together.
Why did you say we are lucky in Nigeria with getting treatment for Covid-19?
Because, the herbs are almost everywhere in Nigeria, but it is difficult to get over here and once you get it, it is pretty expensive you need to go to some special store to get organic things.
Why did you decide to go home instead of staying in Isolation Centre?
I am an African woman and I already know much about the virus, for me, I feel the care I will get at home, I can’t get it at the hospital, no caregiver will go and get herbs for me to drink and inhale, I was even giving cold water to drink at the hospital and ordinarily, I am supposed to stay away from cold water, I am not saying they don’t treat people well there, Canada has one of the best healthcare facilities in the world but I wanted to treat myself with herbs.
So you treated yourself with both drugs and herbs?
No, what I took is herbs to treat myself, then I took talon, which is the same as panadol, then I took some little drugs for cold, but I focused mainly on herbs to treat myself for Covid-19 like I said earlier on, I took the herbs solution, inhaled it, inhaled the aboniki and hot water solution and I started sweating it out, and I didn’t relent, I kept doing it continuously and am still doing it.
What is your advice to people watching you concerning all these?
Do you know that people that are really educated don’t even believe there is Covid-19, some were like, how would have Covid-19? My advice to them is that they should be very careful it can happen to anybody, please and please take the necessary precaution people die from this virus on a daily basis please be careful. I decided to voice out so that people can be very careful. Covid-19 is real, I am a living witness and I have my two results with me, the one that proved that I had the virus and can’t go to work, and the one that cleared me and over here, they just leave you to your fate, they follow up, always checking up to know if you are getting better or worst. Someone said celebrities are having Covid-19 and not dying, yes because they quickly did the needful someone who is ignorant might just waste his or her life like that because you believe it is not real. Please if you feel funny go to the hospital and run the test, if it is positive, Isolate yourself and don’t infect others.
All through the crisis I stayed at home and didn’t see anybody, my friend Bisi stood by me and helped me with almost everything, then Muyiwa Ademola’s wife kept calling, when I was not picking, she came to the house but was not allowed in, God bless Muyiwa Ademola’s wife for me, despite everything she never stopped coming. God bless you my darling sister. There is actually a thin line between life and death I kept begging God to spare my life for the sake of the children. It was indeed a terrible experience, I could not stand up and even do anything I had to teach my daughter how to give a sponge bath, she was the one always cleaning me up, I don’t pray for my enemies to go through that horrible experience, so please kindly help me preach it in Nigeria that Covid-19 is real, nobody is paying anybody to say they got infected. It is real.
How long were you really down?
Two weeks, but that 2 weeks was like 10 weeks for me, it was terrible the painful part is that most people don’t believe it is real, I reposted your post and my friend said Lola Covid-19 bawo, I just started laughing, please take precaution Covid-19 is a respecter of nobody, do your ginger, garlic and lemon paste and always drink, sanitise your hands and use your nose masks, someone might be infected and not be coughing, apart from feeling weak and running temperature, I didn’t have any symptoms relating to Covid-19.
Apple cider with vinegar is also very good this period, I remember sometimes when I had this severe cough, I added it inside hot water and drank it and I vomited and felt better, but I stopped using it because it is not good for people suffering from ulcer.
Honestly, there is actually nothing about this life, absolutely nothing, so please if you feel I have offended you in any way, please forgive me and I don’t have anything against anybody too. There is nothing about this life.
What is the issue of Covid-19 like in Canada?
The truth of the matter is that if you don’t go for a test, you won’t know if you are infected or not and I realise what most people do now, once they suspect they are infected, they start treating themselves immediately, I have a friend who didn’t even bother going to the hospital, she quickly started treating herself and she is fine now. She only isolated herself and treated herself so please I am begging you to take precaution and stay away from a crowded environment.
Why is it that most people don’t like going to Isolation Centre?
In my own case, I decided not to go because I know what I need to do to treat myself and with God’s grace within weeks I will be fine, instead of going to spend a month at the hospital and leaving the kids all by themselves.
Then someone said you can’t suffer from the virus twice, that is not true you can. I once had it but it wasn’t as severe as this and I quickly fought it, but I was nonchalant about this particular one and it got so serious.
If you are not careful, it will happen and I have always been a very careful person, I just don’t know what went wrong along the line, I have never had this kind of pain and experience before all my life.
How have your colleagues responded?
They were surprised and were really happy, I survived it, my sisters like Foluke Daramola, Bukky Fagbuyi, Opeyemi Aiyeola and many of them sent messages and some called to greet me. I give God all the glory for everything, for giving me a second chance no amount of money will make me gamble with my life, so nobody paid me to say I was infected.
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