Speaking in an interview on Doyin Kukoyi TV, the actress recalled how the illness brought her to the brink of death. At the height of her health crisis, she said she was unable to eat or drink, required oxygen support to breathe, and even went as far as purchasing a burial plot and writing her will in preparation for the worst. “I thought the end had come… but God said it was not yet time to go,” Afolabi shared.
Her ordeal began with severe joint pain, which she described as “more intense than childbirth.” Initial consultations at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) led to multiple misdiagnoses, leaving her without answers. It was only after seeking treatment abroad that she received the correct diagnosis of lupus — a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks its own organs and tissues, leading to serious complications.
“Lupus has killed a lot of people. I had never heard of it till I experienced it,” she said, noting that the condition has no cure and must be managed with continuous medication. Afolabi disclosed that her treatment requires her to travel abroad frequently, take daily injections, and avoid prolonged exposure to bright light — a limitation that has affected her acting career.
Despite enduring physical suffering and dealing with damaging rumours — including accusations of being “used spiritually” — Afolabi said she remains grateful for the unshakable support of her family, friends, and colleagues, and credits her survival to divine intervention.
Her story has since sparked renewed conversations about lupus awareness in Nigeria, a condition still unfamiliar to many and often misunderstood, even in medical circles.