Retired Nigerian top professional athlete, Kanu Nwankwo who has played for several English teams including Arsenal FC has recounted how his wife, Amara, kept him alive and nursed him.
The Nigerian footballer who first had an open-heart surgery in 1996 after a routine medical examination at Inter Milan revealed a heart valve defect disclosed that his wife, Amara, saved his life when he could have died.
Kanu Nwankwo revealed that they had just put their children, three in number, to sleep and went into their own room for the night when his wife heard his unusual heartbeat which reportedly kept her awake.
Amara who recently celebrated her 30th birthday recalled: “His heartbeat sounded much louder than normal. I was listening to his chest and it sounded odd.”
The retired professional footballer’s wife reportedly could not take the the sound again, feeling something was wrong, she insisted her husband get it checked immediately.
The 40-year-old footballer said: “She was saying I should go for a check-up so I took her advice.” And Amara was proved right because experts told him there was further damage to his heart and he urgently needed a second operation.”
Amara added: “It was the same faulty valve.
“It was like a ticking time bomb. It’s just one of those things we were lucky to find out.” Not only did she save his life, Amara also nursed him back to health.
DailyMail reported the footballer to have said: “Now I know that being fit and strong doesn’t make your heart 100%.”