Theophilus Mbi Akoh was born at the Kumba General Hospital, in the city of Kumba located in the Southwest Province of Cameroon in West Central Africa. He was the youngest of 7 siblings in a home full of love and grounded in Christian faith. He attended Government Practicing School Kumba and during these formative years, he quickly followed the footsteps of his parents and was drawn to the church and became alter server (mass boy) earlier than most. He spent many Sundays on the road with the priest on out station services and he loved it. After his primary school education, Theo attended Bishop Rogan College Small Soppo Buea where he spent 7 years with the hope of joining the priesthood. Théo was very athletic on and off campus and he made the basketball team at BIROCOL. He also played football and volleyball and he picked up tennis later. He was a fascinating ping pong player. God had other plans for Theo, and this was not the priesthood. Feeling sad, his mentor (the late Fr Sylvester S.Ngwa) told him ‘Theo, you are going to touch more lives out than you can ever imagine’. Boy was that so!
In Dec of 1995, after a short stint at UB, Theo immigrated to the US alongside his parents to join the rest of the family in Reno, NV. He attended the University of Nevada Reno where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. After a few years, he moved his young family to join one of his brothers in Las Vegas. He continued to practice and as always looked for new avenues to improve himself and further his career. In 2007, he travelled to Poland for medical school. He attended the Medical University of Lodz Poland and in 2011 graduated with a medical degree. Unable to obtain residency in the U.S, Theo continued to practice as a registered nurse to support his family. As always, Theo continued to explore other opportunities.
In 2014, it was back to school again for Theo. It was never enough for him, and he wanted to be the best at what he did. He attended South University where he obtained a Master of Science degree in nursing and became a Nurse Practitioner. He practiced as an adult medicine provider and as a hospitalist for many years thereafter. Nothing but great reviews from his patients and colleagues. In 2018, Theo decided that it was time to go solo and he opened his own medical practice/clinic - Zenith Care Group. His departure was a huge loss for his hospitalist group and the group director said as much. Zenith Care Group took off immediately with a healthy panel of patients. To better serve his patients in a one stop shop setting, he earned a certification in Mental health and became both a primary care provider and a mental health provider. In 2022 Theo expanded his practice to Phoenix, AZ where he opened a mental health clinic with plans to expand into MN and the DC metro area. He was very enterprising and always consulted with other professionals/experts in the field, including his siblings, about new ways of working smart and what the next trend in healthcare was going to be. He never wanted to be left behind, and rather wanted to get ahead of the game. As an entrepreneur, he understood the risk, but as a clinician, he never hesitated to dabble in innovations, without jeopardizing the safety of his patients or the quality of care provided. He did pain management, Neuro feedback therapy, Primary Care, Group therapy sessions. He was vibrant, always on the go and full of energy.
About April or May 2022, Theo sent his brother Akoh, a message with an attachment. This attachment was a recent CAT Scan result, and it showed brain mass. Akoh scanned through the results and only looked at the name above the report afterwards. Before Akoh could call him to suggest an MRI for confirmation, he had already ordered one. The MRI result confirmed our fears, but Theo remained upbeat and continued with a full patient schedule. His spirit was good. A fighting/ positive outlook from the onset. On June 6th, 2022, Franka and the children, his mother, Joe, Eric and Akoh gathered at UCLA for a six-hour gruesome surgery for resection of the tumor. Other friends stopped by during the early days of his recovery. The surgery went relatively well but only a section of the tumor was removed due to the location of the tumor and the risk involved in trying to go after the whole damn thing.
Theo recovered quickly from surgery and maintained most, if not all, of his functioning. That meant one thing for him- back to work only after a few weeks post-op. The devastating pathology report came back a few weeks later and that put a little damper but did not slow Theo down or crush his fighting spirit. He was still traveling between Phoenix and Las Vegas for work with his trusted aide de camp (his daughter Hayli) always by his side for support. While at work in Phoenix, Theo was not alone, there were brothers like Melvin, Mayo, Jimmy and his wife, Chibili and others who stopped by to keep an extra eye on Theo and make sure he didn’t need anything. Chemo and radiation came after and Franka was at the forefront and very instrumental in arranging this aspect of his care, liaising with his care team at the Mayo Clinic, UCLA and here at home. She accompanied him to most if not all of his many appointments. Théo maintained a good and positive spirit throughout all this. We never heard him lament, complain or ask why me.
During the last several months, Theo was in hospice Care at his home. The family wouldn’t have it any other way but the comfort of Theo’s own home. His sisters were with him every single moment during the last several months before his transition. His mother used this opportunity to provide tender loving care once again, to her youngest son. She became the unofficial “chief care giver” directing the level of care to the annoyance of the sisters. Theo received the best care ever in the company of family members. Vocational opportunities were put on hold to ensure that Theo was comfortable and well taken care of. His brothers from another mother (Jubiliant, Eric, Melvin, Emile, Dr Tabe, Jimmy) came in periodically to sit with him and tell old stories and adventures. On the week prior to his transition, Joe had come once again from Minnesota to visit with Theo, and this time, he had planned to stay longer than usual. On the night of July 1st breaking the 2nd, we were all gathered around Theo’s bed comforting him with some hymns and soothing words, and without any struggle or pain, he transitioned quietly in our arms.
Theo’s short life was well spent. Rather than sitting around contemplating what he would to do next, he was already doing it. This illness slowed him down only during the last several months. His work had a positive impact on his community, and he touched many lives as most of his patients came from the disadvantaged/underserved population. That was the work he was sent here to do. He finished his work. Theo is survived by his family - his mother Mrs. Pauline Akoh, his children (Hayli, Theophilus, Francis, Sango), Franka, his siblings Philomena, Tina, Henrietta, Joe, Akoh and Emmaculate, and all his other brothers (these gentlemen know themselves).
We pray for the soul of Theophilus Akoh to rest in the Peace of the Lord.
