Dance of life for beloved Screen Diva, Lydia Forson

The thanksgiving ‘party’ to commemorate her birthday was on Facebook and all her other social media platforms. No drinks, no cutting of cake; just words to celebrate those the Ghanaian screen diva, Lydia Forson, described as important persons in her life.

“I am who I am because of every important person in my life, and today, I choose to celebrate them,” she wrote on Facebook, where she also revealled that she underwent a major surgery, a reason she is dedicating her birthday commemoration to a celebration of her “survival story and all the people who made it possible.”

In a terse message that has garnered over a million likes and comments, Lydia, star of acclaimed movies, such as Isoken and Phone Swap, said: “Last year, I was in the best shape of my life; I was healthy, strong and everything seemed to be falling into place.

“But little did I know that God was preparing me for a tough year ahead. Living in the public eye means going through a lot alone. You hesitate to share certain parts of your life with the world, because you can’t always trust that people will understand what you’re going through, have compassion or even be sensitive to your pain. That is how I underwent surgery this year and kept it to myself.

“But as I celebrate another year, I want to celebrate my survival story and all the people who made it possible.” Continuing, she added: “Not being able to walk, bath and do basic things you usually take for granted teaches you a lot about life, humility and all the little things we often overlook.

“In this period, I have had to smile through the pain, tears and healing. I felt the need to mask my fears for my loved ones. I didn’t think anyone would quite understand the range of emotions I was going through. I played the part of the strong, ever-ready tough girl perfectly, until the day of surgery.

“When I saw the doctors and nurses in scrubs, heard the beeping sounds of medical equipment and saw the surgical instruments, it finally dawned on me in that cold theatre room that this could very well be the end. And then I broke down in tears at the thought of that.”

According to her: “No matter how reassuring and comforting my doctor, family and friends were in the lead up to my procedure, I was also very aware of the possibility that a successful surgery, was NOT guaranteed.

“The realisation that I would be cut open, the excruciating pain I would be in, the uncertainty of post surgery recovery and the idea that my body would never be the same terrified me.

“Thankfully, I survived. But the road to recovery was long, painful, confusing and sometimes psychologically draining… The overwhelming love and support from my family, friends and others I encountered during this period is a testament of God’s unwavering presence in my life.”

Lydia showered encomiums on her mother, father, brothers- Sam and Manny- friends- Gwen, Yvonne, Sandra, Euphemia and the GGW girls, her doctors, as well as fans for standing by her before and all through the healing process.

“I want to thank God, by celebrating these people who He has strategically placed in my life at nearly every turn to see me through the worst. I may not always understand Gods plan for my life and the things I go through, but I have faith that He’s with me every step of the way, and I will survive,” she surmised.

An award-winning actress born in Mankessim in Ghana, Lydia’s place as a leading actress is not in doubt. The elegant screen diva has through hardwork, extraordinary talent and determination walked herself up the acting ladder.

Those who have followed her shimmering acting career seem to agree that her applause has been rigorously sustained since she made a pronounced debut as a leading actress in that Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s urban telling Scorned.

Born in October, Lydia, an alumnus of the University of Ghana, where she obtained a Bachelors of Arts degree in English and Information Studies, had always wanted to stand in front of the camera.

She disclosed that even from childhood, she had no other career choice than any profession that will have her stand in front of the camera. It was no surprise to members of her family and close friends when the only girl in a family of three, born to a cleric, decided to strut the acting runway.

Blessed with a family she described as “wonderful” and who had no objection to her threading the acting runway, Lydia hit the road running with a debut performance in Emmanuel Appiah’s Run Baby, Run.

Her performance in that movie earned her several invitations to feature in other acclaimed movies, most of which have benefited from her expert portrayal, including Scorned, which earned her her first AMAA nomination; Different Shades of Blue; Kunle Afolayan’s Phone Swap; Jade Isiburu’s Isoken; Perfect Picture, which earned her an AMAA crest (joint award) in 2010 for Best Actress in a leading role and more recently, a superb performance in the period movie, Keteke.

An actress only attracted to challenging roles, Lydia, who is always elegantly dressed, with a particular liking for bright colours, calls what others consider as pains of the profession “occupational hazards.”

She explained: “I don’t call them pains, but occupational hazards, your private life becomes an open book and people monitor every step you make.

“However, my biggest gain is being able to put a smile on people’s faces. It is always rewarding when people come up to me and say they loved a movie I was in. That keeps me going.”

Asked how far Lydia intend to go with acting, she said: “Far. I will go as far as it is imaginable and achieve as much as it is possible.”

On her likes and dislikes, Lydia, who enjoys swimming and keeps a low hair cut that announces her among peers, said she dislikes fake people and would do anything to avoid those she described as chauvinist.

“I can’t stand fake people; they really get on my nerves. I also dislike people who cannot stand anyone making it big in life. I feel sorry for people like that. Life is too short to waste on hating on someone.

“And when I smell a hint of a chauvinist, I run. I don’t like men who only feel good about themselves by putting a woman down. It only says that he is not confident in himself.

“I also can’t stand men who feel a woman’s life should revolve around them. I strongly believe God puts two people together to help each other achieve their destinies and not one stopping their destiny to achieve the others.

“On the other hand, I love life; I love everything about it. I love to see people succeed in life; I draw a lot of inspiration from them.” As for phobia, she noted: “I have a phobia for darkness and snakes. God is light.”