John Kumah returned from Germany just to attend the 6th March parade – Lilian Kumah

The wife of the late Deputy Finance Minister and MP for Ejisu, John Kumah, has revealed that her husband returned from Germany, where he was receiving treatment for a terminal illness, just to attend the 6th March parade in his constituency.

In an emotional interview with Asaase Radio, Mrs Lilian Kumah narrated how her husband ignored her pleas to rest, and instead chose to participate in the Independence Day celebration in Ejisu.

“He returned from Germany on the Sunday. Monday, he went to work, very strong and active. Tuesday, he went to parliament, but Tuesday, he realized that he was not that strong, but he returned all the way from Germany just to attend the 6th March so he was determined to be at Ejisu to be part of the 6th March. I tried everything to discourage him, but you know, once a soldier always a soldier, madly in love with his country and what he is doing so he left,” she said.

John Kumah’s unwavering commitment to his country was evident in this gesture. His wife shared the challenging events leading up to his unfortunate passing. She recounted driving to Kumasi on Wednesday, March 6th, 2024, only to find him in critical condition on Thursday morning, as he was being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

“I think Wednesday, I called him, but his voice did not sound well on the phone, so I told him to try to get here (Accra) so he could return to Germany, but he was not in support of that idea. So, I decided to drive to Kumasi. I drove to Kumasi. Unfortunately, I arrived Thursday morning around 7:30 a.m. My husband couldn’t move when I arrived. He was being put in an ambulance. So I left my car with my brothers and got into the ambulance,” she noted.

Despite an initial positive gesture from John, indicating control over the situation, the journey became increasingly challenging.

“He opened his eyes and gave me a thumbs up. He usually did that to let me know that he was in control, so I needn’t worry. Immediately, I felt relieved thinking that he was okay. But it got tough while we were on the road.”

At around 11, signs of relief turned into a medical emergency. His wife, a pastor, began fervently praying as medical professionals worked to stabilize him.

Mrs Kumah said, “So around 11, I realized that he showed a sign of relief. He could fly his fists in the air along with joy on his face. He had been sweating earlier, but he had stopped sweating. But I have a little medical background, so I looked at the screen of the machine connected to him and realized that things are dropping and they weren’t encouraging. I was with his doctor and some technicians in the ambulance. They were all trying to comport themselves, but as a pastor, I was just praying seriously trusting God to intervene.”

The ambulance, urgently diverted to the nearest hospital in Suhum, for extra help as his condition worsened. Despite prompt efforts by medical staff, the situation deteriorated. At 12:20 pm, the doctor delivered the heartbreaking news to John’s wife, confirming their best efforts had not been enough.

“Unfortunately, the doctor raised the alarm at 11:45 a.m that, we find a nearby hospital so he could rest and be given a CPU and constant oxygen supply for the meantime before continuing. He wants to stabilize him first. The nearest hospital was Suhum, so we took the route to that hospital. When we got there, they didn’t delay at all. They quickly brought the oxygen, doctors came out. Not long after, the doctor gathered courage and told me that, they did their best, but it got out of their hands,” she recounted.

In her disbelief, she insisted on bringing him back, holding onto hope for a miraculous recovery. As the reality set in, she expressed a lingering hope that the tragic news might be a nightmare, desperately clinging to the possibility of a miracle.

“This was around 12:20. They confirmed this at around 12:20 pm. The reason why I remember the time is because I said ei JK, this afternoon, at this hour… you can’t leave like that, but unfortunately, I was hoping that they were wrong. So I insisted that they bring him for I have faith in God that life would return to him body once more. As at now, I am still hoping that this is a nightmare, that I would be told that this is a prank or there would be a miracle. I am still hoping,” she added.