Ghanaian footballer Raphael Dwamena, who candidly spoke about his heart problems eight months ago, passed away on November 11th during a match between KF Egnatia and KF Partizani in the Albanian Superliga.
He admitted at the time that he found out about his cardiac difficulties in 2017, when he was negotiating a transfer contract from Switzerland to the English league, and the agreement was terminated.
His untimely death has shocked the football community, raising questions about the awareness and management of health issues in the sport.
Dwamena's poignant words from months ago now echo with a haunting significance as the football world mourns the loss of a talented player.
"I was shocked, I was playing at Zyrih at that time and I had all the doctors there. I was forced to go back to my house and have some medical tests. All these are part of the challenges and I had to accept them. At first they put me on a device that monitored the heart rate, it's a signal that hits you and shows the state of the heart, that was the worst thing that happened to me, but I never fell on the field or lost consciousness. My family is in Ghana and it was certainly difficult for them to hear different news. I had been under the supervision of doctors for some time and they had assured me," Dwamena said.
"Then they asked me if I was fit to play and I said Yes. Meanwhile, doctors from different clubs or different institutions often said that I should not play anymore. But I once again told him, "I respect your decision but I have to make a decision". I am not at all afraid that God is with me. When I came here to Egnatia I did some medical tests and everything was fine. I never left football, I played continuously.
"Maybe for normal people there are many impossible things, but for God there are no impossible things. He has always stood by me and I have never discussed whether or not I would play football. God has always been there for me and I have a lot of faith in Him,"