New kidney, new life for UTV's Abigail Ashley
Thirteen years ago, UTV’s Abigail Ashley did not have any hope; she had been diagnosed with stage 4 Chronic Kidney disease and was given five years to live.
She was fortunate enough to get support and lived way beyond the five years she was given although she was always afraid of falling asleep because she thought she would die. However, all that has changed, and now Abigail can look forward to a long life.
In an exclusive interview with Graphic Showbiz on Tuesday, July 21, Abigail Ashley revealed that luck had smiled on her and she had undergone surgery for a kidney transplant, giving her a new lease of life.
“I have always had hope in God but I didn’t know He would come down so soon. I recall how my life was shattered when I was given five years to live but miraculously, I lived past that and I didn’t know what was going to happen next but today, I tell you that He has made a way.
“With the help of my godfathers; Dr Osei Kwame (Despite), Dr Ernest Ofori Sarpong and Dr Fadda Dickson, in December last year, I was able to undergo a kidney transplant and I am glad to say I am well.
“We had doctors from the UK coming down to work on me at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and so far, it has been great,” she said.
According to her, she was feeling great about herself again. “I am really grateful for this, I feel much better, I can breathe well as compared to before.
“I urinate freely now; previously, I had my limits when it came to the amount of liquid I could take in a day but now, I can take enough. The truth is, I have my life back and it feels so beautiful, I have no fears of falling asleep now.”
However, Abigail Ashley noted that the battle had not ended yet. “I have a new kidney but it still needs to be taken care of so that I do not get infected. The battle is not yet over but we are grateful for life.”
She added, “honestly speaking, the process is a very expensive one and I owe it all to Dr Osei Kwame (Despite), Dr Ernest Ofori Sarpong and Dr Fadda Dickson. I want to use this opportunity to thank them for their support, love and care all these years, God bless and replenish them.”
On what the future holds for her she said, “I’m already embracing it; hopefully I will get a boyfriend, then to marriage and children but I’m not in a rush, I’m taking it one step at a time.”
Abigail, who used to host My Health, My Life on UTV also said she was taking time off the screen but would return.
“I’m still taking care of myself but while at home, I’m keeping busy with my YouTube show, Time with Abigail Ashley and eating healthy until the dust settles. Again in this coronavirus era, I have to be very careful considering my condition so I won’t come back this year,” she stated.
Just as she put her diagnosis and treatment into her 2017 book, Behind My Smiles, Abigail will on July 30, this year, launch a second book titled The New Me. In it, she talks about the new kidney, the process, her new life, how she got the donor and the role God played in all of it.