Popular music video director TG Omori has recounted his traumatic road to recovery after undergoing a kidney transplant.
TG Omori opens up about the emotional pain of being unable to create during kidney transplant recovery
The director opened up about his health ordeal during an appearance on the Afropolitan podcast, revealing that despite having the support of family and friends, the period was one of the most trying chapters of his life.
Omori said his health struggles began after he received a diagnosis in Nigeria and started treatment. However, his condition worsened in 2023 while he was in New York, where he was taken to a hospital for further tests.
“I received the diagnosis in Nigeria. It started simply, and they gave me medication to make it better. I was like that for a year, then later in 2023, I got sick. At the time, I was in New York, and I was taken to the hospital. I later spoke to some doctors who advised me to come to Nigeria and figure things out.”
He was later transferred to a nephrologist who advised him to undergo a kidney transplant after his kidney function continued to deteriorate despite treatment.
Omori said finding a compatible donor became another major challenge, with the search lasting about nine months.
According to him, his brother eventually offered to donate one of his kidneys, but the transplant was unsuccessful because his body rejected it after a lengthy surgery.
“It took about nine months to get a donor. When it was becoming a struggle, my brother decided to donate. Then we went in and came out, and my body was not accepting it after like 7 hours of surgery. That was when I resigned myself to fate and made a post about it on social media.
“It was removed successfully, but I had to go back on dialysis and wait for it to heal before they do another transplant. I had to go through the process again and look for another donor.
“My brother only has one kidney now, even though he can live with one. That’s another angle that is traumatising.”
The director also recalled the painful reality of being away from work while rumours circulated about his career.
“I was in the hospital, and people were already texting that I fell off; nobody works with me anymore.
“That’s how cruel the game is. Nobody knew about anything apart from a few friends. I wasn’t sure I was going to survive. In fact, I had said my last prayer.”
Beyond the physical pain of his illness, Omori said his inability to create during his recovery took an equally heavy emotional toll.
“I still stayed creative, but it was stuck in my head, and I couldn’t act on it. I kept analysing videos coming out. I was just like that injured player on the bench who could not do anything, and I also felt God wanted to allow me down.”
Reflecting on his career before his health crisis, Omori also admitted that fame had begun to affect him.
“The fame was getting too much it was almost getting into my head.”
The director also addressed the misconception that music video directors earn as much as the artistes they work with.
“People think we are as rich as the artistes, and sometimes people don’t even understand that the budget that comes to the director is not what the director keeps for himself. Sometimes, the director goes home with nothing because he’s trying to make sure that his vision and dreams come to life.”
Omori further explained that directors in Nigeria often take on multiple responsibilities because production crews are smaller than those in Hollywood.
TG Omori opens up on kidney transplant ordeal, creative struggles and brother’s failed donation
