Cancer: Long trip to India for treatment killed Nzeribe – Doctor

By Sola Ogundipe
LAGOS—Late advertising practitioner, Dr. May Nzeribe, did not die as a direct consequence of the prostate cancer which he had been battling for years; rather, he died from multiple organ failure caused by “thrombosis of the veins” – a medical complication that was triggered by prolonged sitting during the long airplane journey to India, where he went to seek treatment.
Disclosing this development to Vanguard yesterday in reaction to news of Nzeribe’s sudden death, a cancer specialist and National Coordinator, National Cancer Prevention Programme, NCPP, Dr. Kin Egwuonu, said  the thrombosis of the veins, often described as “economy class syndrome” for airplane, car, or train travel, caused blood clots to form in the veins of the deceased.
“He went for cancer treatment but ended up with a bigger problem. When somebody is having cancer, the blood thickens and clots easily and because of this complication from the long flight, he developed multiple organ failure. This is why it is not very okay for people that are not very well to undertake such a long journey,” Egwuonu remarked.
He said the hospital Nzeribe was going to could not even treat him anymore because of the complications from the long flight.  He was taken to the Intensive Care Unit and the Indian doctors wanted him to be brought back to Nigeria, but he died there.