How I Lost Two Children To Sickle Cell Due To Poverty — Roy De Nani

Veteran Nollywood actor, Roy De Nani, has shared a heartbreaking account of his personal and professional struggles, revealing how financial hardship led to the untimely death of two of his children.

Speaking on the ‘Where is the lie’ podcast, the actor disclosed that both his son and daughter, who lived with sickle cell disorder, passed away because he could not afford the medical costs required to keep them alive.

De Nani explained that the children urgently needed blood transfusions, but his lack of funds at the time made it impossible to secure the treatment.

“I lost my son and my daughter because they needed blood transfusions to continue living, but there was no money to buy the blood, and they died,” the actor stated.

The veteran thespian also alleged that his financial difficulties were worsened by a blacklist in the film industry. He claimed an influential figure ordered producers to stop hiring him, a move that dried up his income for several years.

He recalled instances where he was asked to leave movie sets even after he had already started recording his scenes, simply because of the standing order against his career.

Reflecting on the lack of empathy in the industry, De Nani noted that he received no support from his colleagues during his time of grief, including when he lost his brother.

“Not a single actor or actress showed up,” he remarked, adding that while the industry failed to assist him, it might be because many have not been personally touched by such extreme hardship.

The actor’s revelation has sparked fresh calls for the creation of a functional welfare fund for veteran entertainers to prevent such avoidable tragedies within the creative community.