Ghanaian striker, David Accam, has revealed that he considered quitting football after enduring a tough last two years in which he lost his father and his home in the United States destroyed by a tornado.
The 30 year old Nashville SC striker got married to his long time girlfriend and Black Queens striker Florence Dadson in January 2019, but just three months later, his father died after a long battle with cancer.
A year on from his father’s demise, with his wife 9 months pregnant, Accam’s home was destroyed by a tornado that swept through the city of Nashville, causing monumental havoc and damage.
“Around 12am, while we were sleeping, this tornado warning set off the alarm on my phone. But when we woke up, we had no idea what do because we had never been trained on what to do in the case of a tornado,” he narrated to Citi FM’s Fentuo Tahiru in a yet to be aired interview.
“So we just laid on the bedroom floor and five minutes later, it all came to pass. It destroyed everything in our living room, our bedroom and kitchen, except the bedroom where we were. Till date, I still don’t know how we survived, only God knows.
“It was so scary but I’m thankful that we are alive. My wife was so shaken. We both were. We had to rush to the hospital to check and be sure nothing happened to the baby and thankfully, she was fine,” he said.
The former Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew attacker said the events of the tornado, coupled with the difficulty of dealing with his father’s loss almost led him into retiring from football.
“It’s been difficult; one of the most difficult periods of my life. I had never experienced anything like this before.
“Everyone wants to live a good life but we have to be prepared for obstacles too.
“In the last two years, I have thought about quitting the game and returning home to stay with my family because of everything going on, but I also realize I’m a bread winner with a lot of people relying on me so I had to keep going.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last two years; how to be resilient, how to stay strong in the face of everything, and here I am, surrounded by my family and friends and I’m just happy to be alive,” he concluded.
Craziest night ever. Thank God we survive it🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/oh4qu6htYT
— king David Accam (@iamdavidaccam) March 3, 2020
