The colleagues of veteran actor and screenwriter Taiwo “Ogogo” Hassan have rallied around him after his daughters revealed that he is battling stage-four cancer and is currently unfit to travel abroad for medical treatment.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Kira and Haleemah, Ogogo’s daughters, disclosed their father’s condition in emotional videos and appealed for public support as the family sought treatment options.
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The disclosure prompted many Nigerians, particularly Ogogo’s fans, to call for his transfer abroad for specialised medical care.
Haleemah, however, said the family had already considered travelling abroad but could not proceed because the actor was unfit to fly. “We’ve tried, but he’s not fit to fly,” she wrote on Instagram.
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Colleagues seek help
Following the disclosure, several of Ogogo’s colleagues appealed to Nigerians to help the family find medical specialists and hospitals capable of treating him.
They include the national president of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), veteran comic actor Bolaji “Mr Latin” Amusan, Femi Adebayo, Muyiwa Ademola, Bimbo Oshin, Odunlade Adekola, Mide Martins and Ibrahim Yekini, among others.
The actors and filmmakers shared videos posted by Ogogo’s daughters and photographs of the veteran actor on social media, urging people with relevant medical contacts to assist.
Mr Latin called on people with connections to medical specialists who could help Ogogo to contact Kira, Haleemah or any of the actor’s colleagues. He urged Nigerians to help the family secure the specialised care the actor urgently needs.
“We appeal to everyone to support Uncle Taiwo Hassan Ogogo, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. We urgently need qualified medical professionals and cancer specialists to advise us on the best treatment options. We cannot afford to gamble at this stage.”
Also, Oshin, in a Tuesday Instagram post, urged Nigerians with knowledge of reputable hospitals, cancer specialists or oncologists to recommend them to the family, whether in Nigeria or abroad.
“With a heavy heart, I’m sharing this and asking for your help. Our dearest Taiwo Hassan Ogogo is currently battling stage 4 cancer, and his family is urgently looking for the right medical help and treatment options. The family is not asking for money.
“If you know anyone who can help, please reach out. And if you don’t, kindly share this post. You never know who might see it and have the connection that could make a difference. Please, let’s keep Taiwo Hassan in our prayers”, the actress wrote.
Not gamble
Ademola, in an appeal on his Instagram page, said Ogogo’s condition had gone beyond taking chances with treatment options.
He urged anyone with knowledge of a specialist or facility capable of treating the actor to recommend them to the family.
“With sadness, trembling hands and hope, I repost this! Uncle Taiwo Hassan Ogogo is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, as his daughter seeks help from medical professionals on treatment opportunities. Please and please, we need who is sure! We can’t gamble at this stage! We need your help! It’s not about money but means to get him treated”, he wrote.
Additionally, Adebayo, in an appeal on his X page, said the family was not seeking financial assistance but recommendations for reputable hospitals and advanced treatment centres that could review Ogogo’s medical records and offer alternative treatment options.
He urged Nigerians to rally around the veteran actor and share the video widely until it reached someone who could help.
The actor noted, “As shared by his family, they are not looking for money or financial support. What they urgently need is medical direction. They are seeking recommendations for standard hospitals, specialists, or advanced treatment centres anywhere in the world that can review his files and provide treatment options right now.
“If you know someone who knows someone in the oncology space, or a medical avenue that can assist, please help reach out to his family immediately.”
Backstory
This newspaper earlier reported that Ogogo’s daughters said several hospitals had turned their father away because of his condition.
They said they could not bear the thought of losing their father and appealed for urgent assistance to secure appropriate treatment for him.
According to the daughters, doctors diagnosed Ogogo with cancer about three weeks ago. They said the actor is determined to survive and has expressed his desire to live.
Ogogo’s most recent film appearance was in “Oye Agba”, where he starred alongside Olaniyan Tosin, Jaye Kuti and others.
He began his acting career in 1981 after working as a mechanic. In 1994, he left his job with the water corporation to pursue acting full-time.
Over the years, Ogogo has featured in several films, including “Atitebi”, “Agbelebu”, “Agbo-Odaju”, “Danfo Driver”, “Amerah”, “Aníkúlápó”, “Bank Alert”, “IGE”, “Aníkúlápó: Rise of the Spectre”, among others.
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