FROM THE HEART
By Sun News Publishing
Wednesday
March 22, 2006
 |
•Kanu
Photo: Sun News Publishing
|
| |
The Hawthorns mailbag routinely contains letters addressed:
Kanu, Footballer, West Bromwich Albion, England.
Up to 50 of them a week land on the doormat of the Black Country
club. All of them bear an African post-mark. All of them are
begging letters.
But they do not ask for any financial hand-out. They come
knocking at the door of the club’s Nigerian footballer
pleading for the most special gift of all: life.
There are plenty of players, who squander their incredible
fortunes but after a terrifying encounter with his own mortality
during a heart scare, Kanu is using his money and fame for
more altruistic ends.
At the last count, there are more than 500 African youngsters
with heart problems who owe their lives to him. Kanu does
more than front a heart foundation in Lagos, he also contributes
financially. He is the charity’s face. He says without
a hint of arrogance-that he is one of the best-known people
in Africa.
He is also able to retain a sense of perspective even in the
throes of his football club’s relegation battle.
"It’s better for me to save lives," he said.
"It’s better to save lives than score goals. Obviously,
I want to score goals but I would rather save a life. It is
so special. We enjoy our lives because we are normal. When
you actually see these kids, it is so hard.
"So far, we have treated about 500 children. I use my
name to raise funds. It costs around $15,000 to send one child
for an operation. "We used to send them to Israel but
it is cheaper in India now, so they go there. I have met a
lot of them. They are from all over Africa.
"Because I use my name, I get a lot of letters here.
Some thank me, but most of them just say "Help me, help
me, help me." It is difficult. I can’t help them
all "I probably receive more than 50 letters a week.
It is more than everyone else here. What happens is that when
someone applies for help, they have a medical and we decide
from there, whether they are going to receive any.
"They then travel to Lagos and on to India. I try to
see as many of them as I can. I comfort them and tell them
not to worry. I know what they have been through and what
they are going through. I give hope to their family.
"It struck me what I was doing when I saw the first girl
that we treated. Her mother got in touch with me. Her child
fainted and we had to rush her to hospital. It was a close
thing. I stayed with her mother during the operation.
"What do you say? I just try to give them hope. What
do you say to a mother whose child is having such a difficult
operation?
Kanu’s own experiences have shaped his approach. Weeks
after signing for Inter Milan 10 years ago, the club’s
doctor discovered he possessed a defective aortic valve.
He was told not only that he would never play football again,
but that he had to undergo immediate open-heart surgery in
America. Incredibly, 14 months after having the problem corrected,
he was playing again.
His recovery was unconventional. Eventually, he travelled
back to Nigeria to seek help from a healer, who convinced
the forward that he could resume his career.
When he was passed fit to return, Inter were only too happy
to receive an approach from Arsene Wenger and the £4
million fee that changed hands appeared-on the face of it
to be a gamble.
But Arsenal were confident in their own medical reports. The
man himself did not see it like that. "It was a huge
shock," he said. "I was supposed to play for Inter
one minute. The next, the doctor in Italy was saying it was
over for me. But I was young. I really wanted to play football
and I knew that I could again.
"Now I enjoy life more. With what I’ve come through,
it helps me a lot because the pressure with these kids, there’s
nothing bigger than that. It makes me less fearful of life."
Kanu became an instant hero at Highbury, following his second
game for the club. Jaap Stam is probably still twisting and
turning in a bid to find the striker, who pulled him inside
out at Old Trafford, when the Nigerian marked his Premiership
debut with a goal.
But he enigmatic manner of many of his performances did not
sit comfortably with Wenger. Now Kanu tries to juggle life
as a Christian and as one of Africa’s celebrity faces
with playing Premiership football in the Black Country.
"Whenever I go back to Africa, it’s a huge event,"
he added. "The charity has been awarded top honours in
Nigeria. When I went to Egypt for the African Nations Cup,
I was the crowd’s favourite player. It doesn’t
even matter if I play.
"Because of the charity work and the clubs I have played
for, I don’t think there is a country in Africa that
doesn’t know about Kanu. I will carry on the work with
the heart foundation after I finish playing. But I know I
have an important job to do at West Brom.
"Despite my other work, I love scoring goals and creating
them. I want the club to stay in the Premiership, so I have
this work to do first."
Culled from Daily Mail
|
