Raphael Dwamena’s cardiologist makes shocking revelation
The cardiologist of late Raphael Dwamena has revealed that, the striker chose to have his defibrillator removed a year before he collapsed and died on the pitch.
The 28-year-old passed away on Saturday after a cardiac failure during an Albanian league game while playing for KF Egnatia against Partizani in the 24th minute.
Dwamena was rushed to the hospital but he could not be revived.
Dwamena’s cardiologist, Dr Antonio Asso, has since opened up on the player’s heart condition.
He said Raphael had a ‘serious ventricular arrhythmia’ so they implanted a defibrillator to kept him alive.
However, Dr. Asso said the footballer made a ‘personal decision’ to remove it.
“He died as a result of a respectable personal decision but if the defibrillator had not been removed, Raphael would still be alive” Asso told Spanish outlet Sport.
Speaking of the player’s initial discovery of a heart problem, he explained how he advised the player to quit professional football and how the defibrillator had saved his life on one occasion.
“We managed to convince him of the imperative need to implant a defibrillator to at least guarantee his life, at the same time that we advised against practising professional sports,” he added.
“A couple of years ago they told me that the defibrillator had saved his life when he had a malignant arrhythmia that had been correctly treated automatically by the device. We subsequently lost contact.
From that moment on, I was aware that one day the tragedy that occurred on Saturday on a soccer field in Albania would happen” Dr. Asso bemoaned.
He called Dwamena a ‘great and noble boy’ and said he was ‘determined to follow his professional career’ but ‘ended hope of influencing him’.
Dwamena, this season’s top scorer with nine goals in the Albanian Super League, made eight appearances for Ghana and scored twice.
He signed for Levante in 2018 and played one season before being loaned out to Zaragoza, where he played in 2019-20. His career also included stints in Spain, Denmark and Switzerland.
An official statement from the Ghana FA following his death read: “The Ghana Football Association is sad to hear of the death of our former player Raphael Dwamena and wish to express our deepest condolences to his family at this difficult moment.”
Meanwhile, Albanian authorities are investigating what led to the death of the striker. Raphael Dwamena made 9 appearances for the Black Stars and scored twice.
READ ALSO