Sam Acho’s family began providing free medical care in Nigeria in 1989. His parents, Dr. Sonny Acho and Christie Acho, wanted to help people who had limited access to healthcare. Their annual medical missions treated thousands of patients, but the teams could stay only for a short time. The family eventually began working toward a permanent medical center that could serve the community throughout the year.Years later, Acho’s NFL career helped support that goal. His two nominations for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2016 and 2017 brought a combined $100,000 in charitable donations. Acho directed the money to Living Hope Christian Ministries to help fund the hospital project. The Living Hope Medical Center opened in June 2017.
Sam Acho joined his parents’ medical mission as a teenager
Acho grew up in Dallas, Texas, but his family’s connection to Nigeria remained strong. His parents had spent years working to improve access to healthcare in the country, returning regularly to provide free treatment to people who struggled to find medical help.Their work was organised through Living Hope Christian Ministries, founded by Acho’s father, Dr. Sonny Acho. The medical missions brought healthcare professionals to communities where local facilities often lacked basic resources. Doctors, nurses and other volunteers treated patients during visits that typically lasted around two weeks.Acho joined his parents on a medical mission as a teenager. He was not there as a doctor. Instead, he helped with tasks such as crowd control and guiding patients through the treatment process. Seeing the conditions firsthand gave him a better understanding of the work his parents had taken on.In a 2023 interview with the University of Texas at Austin, Acho recalled the makeshift facilities where the medical teams worked.“They’d go to these ‘hospitals’ — I use quotes because they were really just abandoned buildings in the village — and they’d give out free medical care,” Acho said.The teams treated thousands of people during their visits, but the need for healthcare continued after they left. Patients could receive help while the volunteers were in the country, yet many had nowhere reliable to turn for further treatment once the mission ended.Acho’s father wanted to find a lasting solution. His vision was to build a permanent medical center that could provide care throughout the year. The family had spent years travelling to Nigeria and treating patients during short visits. A hospital would allow that work to continue between missions.“This was the dream and vision of my dad,” Acho said. “We’d go for two weeks and treat as many people as we could — thousands of people. But we would leave, and people still needed help.”The family began pursuing the hospital project in 2016. Building a permanent facility required significant funding, and the family continued looking for ways to support the work. Acho’s NFL career soon gave him an opportunity to contribute through charitable donations associated with his award nominations.
Sam Acho’s two NFL award nominations brought $100,000 for the hospital
Acho played college football at the University of Texas before entering the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals selected him in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He later played for the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers while continuing to support his family’s charitable work.His community involvement earned him two nominations for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The award recognises players for their work off the field alongside their achievements in football. Acho was the Chicago Bears’ nominee in both 2016 and 2017.Each nomination came with a $50,000 charitable donation. Acho directed both donations to Living Hope Christian Ministries, bringing the total to $100,000 for the hospital project.The first donation arrived just months after the family had decided to move ahead with construction. Acho recalled his reaction when he learned that the money could go directly toward the project.“When did I get nominated for this award?” Acho recalled asking. “It was just months after we said ‘Let’s build.’ So that $50,000 went straight to Living Hope Christian Ministries, which went straight to the hospital.”His second nomination in 2017 brought another $50,000 donation. Together, the two contributions gave the family $100,000 to help move the hospital project forward.The money was part of a wider fundraising effort rather than the only source of support. Acho and his family also received help from people in the football community and supporters connected to the University of Texas. Fundraising events, including a celebrity waiter event that raised $60,000 in 2016, also helped the project.The Living Hope Medical Center opened in June 2017. The facility gave patients a permanent place to seek medical care and helped the family move beyond the limits of its annual medical missions. Instead of relying only on visiting teams, the community now had access to a medical center throughout the year.The opening marked a major step for a project that had grown out of the family’s work since 1989. Acho’s parents had spent years providing care during short visits, and the hospital offered a way to continue that service after volunteers returned home.Reflecting on what the project had achieved, Acho said, “It’s just been amazing to see.” He also spoke about how one person’s belief and action could make a difference beyond their immediate community.In Acho’s case, the hospital was a way to support a mission his parents had started long before his NFL career. His two award nominations brought $100,000 in charitable donations toward the facility, while years of medical missions and wider fundraising helped make the project possible.The Living Hope Medical Center gave the family’s work a permanent base in Nigeria. What began as an effort to provide free treatment during annual visits eventually grew into a healthcare facility serving patients throughout the year.
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