BBC journalist Andrew Gift has narrated his journey to widowerhood just months into his wedding.
Mr Gift said in an article published on Sunday that his wife Grace who died of breast cancer would have been fine if she went for treatment instead of listening to religious leaders.
“Had my wife, Grace, followed the doctor’s advice rather than seek the help of religious healers, I believe that she would have survived breast cancer and still be with me and our three-year-old daughter.
“She had gone for tests on a large lump on her breast and the doctor said they had revealed that there was an ‘invasive carcinoma,'” he wrote.
Gift and his wife met in Abuja. Grace was diagnosed with cancer just 13 months after their wedding. With no free cancer treatment in the country and Grace’s medical insurance unable to cover the costs, the journalist said he had to borrow N600,000 to pay for the first round of treatment.
Gift said his wife refused chemotherapy, saying she had faith God would heal her.
“We did however visit churches and prayer centres, including that of the famous prophet TB Joshua, yet no solution came.
“Most of these healers took money and promised us miracles. Some told her that the day she visits a hospital would be the day that she would die.
“We also explored traditional treatments, recommended by friends and relations,” he wrote.
Grace’s health grew worse. She went into a coma in November 2019 and never woke up. She was only 33.
