How faith helped Hearts' Kabangu defy 16-day Covid coma

Scottish Cup semi-final: Hearts v Aberdeen

Venue: Hampden Park, Glasgow Date: Saturday 19 April Time: 12:30 BST

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC One Scotland, BBC iPlayer aliases nan BBC Sport website & app; perceive connected BBC Sounds aliases BBC Radio Scotland

When Hearts striker Elton Kabangu talks astir things being successful nan equilibrium and nan chances of occurrence rated astatine 50-50, nan presumption mightiness beryllium he is talking astir Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen, erstwhile he's really talking astir his chances of surviving a lung infection during Covid times.

Three years agone life was decent for nan Belgian of Congolese descent. He was a Willem II striker backmost then. Mid-20s, a fewer goals successful nan slope successful nan Netherlands, a estimation building slowly. Then, bang.

Sense of smell, gone. Then, musculus pains. Then, exhaustion. Then, humor coughed up. Then, intensive care. He remembers his mother's beingness looking successful astatine him done nan model and past nothing.

"I was successful a coma for 16 days," he says. "I had an infection connected my lungs so, yeah, 16 days. I conscionable retrieve arriving astatine nan infirmary and being really sick and past I woke up and I was astatine zero. I had to effort to conflict backmost from nan astir difficult clip of my life.

"It's not bully to deliberation astir everything, but I'll stock my story. I'm not ashamed. It was a conflict for me, but I'm a believer successful Jesus, truthful I cognize it's portion of nan plan. I accepted it. I survived it. I came backmost and that's nan astir important point for me."

Kabangu is 27 and his clip successful shot has been a characteristic test, from FC Eindhoven, to Willem II, to Union Saint-Gilloise and now to Hearts connected loan, brought successful erstwhile his sanction showed up good successful nan information of nan nine partner, Jamestown Analytics.

Eight goals successful 14 games. Not bad, but could beryllium more, he says. Two against Brechin, 2 against Dundee, 2 against St Johnstone, 1 against Kilmarnock and Ross County. Nothing against a top-six team.

"I'm a striker and I've been important but I want to beryllium much important," he said.

"I had a bully play and now it's little goals, but I'm still confident. I'm not worried astir myself, astir my activity ethic, because I cognize what I tin bring and I will effort to bring it."

Changing that caller tally (no goals successful 3 and only 1 successful seven) against Aberdeen astatine Hampden connected Saturday is nan target. It's a crippled to thief "save our season," he says.

And, for Hearts, it's a play astir decidedly successful request of saving. Missing retired connected nan apical six successful nan convention was a grim failure.

Kabangu only joined successful January, but he's been astir agelong capable to cognize that it's obscurity adjacent bully capable for a nine of their size. He says he hardly near nan location for a time aliases 2 aft nan 0-0 tie pinch Motherwell that confirmed their bottom-six fate.

"It's a difficult mobility to opportunity what went incorrect because we worked very difficult and I've seen everyone focused. It's conscionable painful. The fans are angry and I'm besides angry.

"We person to request much and we person to do more, but I cannot enactment successful disappointment. I spot truthful overmuch much imaginable successful this squad and successful this club, truthful erstwhile you don't execute those goals, it's painful, that's nan truth.

"But aft that you request to judge nan reality. We person a semi-final and that's important. We request to look forward."

Faith was ever a portion of who he is and is 1 of nan reasons why his closest friend astatine nan nine is Beni Baningime, different subordinate whose life is steered by his belief successful God. That and their shared Congolese heritage.

Since his weeks successful a coma nan belief broadside of his life has increased.

"I person to opportunity it is much now. Obviously, erstwhile you past a coma, you understand a batch of things. For me, location is nary different point than Jesus Christ.

"He's my saviour, truthful I effort to walk astir of nan clip pinch him, pinch my Bible, reference and knowing his words. It's much than important for me. It's a mobility of life.

"In nan morning, I pray. Then, erstwhile I get astatine nan club, I person my Bible and I read. After training, I spell home. I person my Bible and past I worship.

"In nan evening, I pray. That's what I effort to do. I believe and publication God's words. When I arrived here, I met Beni, my Congolese relative and my Christian brother. We person beautiful overmuch nan aforesaid life. We walk our life pinch Jesus and we effort to publication and believe arsenic overmuch arsenic we can."

His life successful Edinburgh is good, but he doesn't cognize really agelong he will beryllium here. He has different twelvemonth to spell astatine Union and Hearts would person to bargain him retired of that. So he's surviving successful nan infinitesimal and reasoning only of Aberdeen and this Hampden semi-final.

"My Hearts debut came against Aberdeen, a 0–0 draw. I had an opportunity to score. They're a bully team, but we person capable bully players to deliberation that we tin win. We person to person that belief."