17th January 1965 – 17th January 2004. Marie Evelyn Milla did not live to celebrate her birthday. She died on her 39th anniversary in Paris, France, where she had been evacuated for intensive medical care after suffering from serious injuries in a ghastly motor accident.
According to her husband, itinerant ambassador Roger Milla, the accident must have been caused by the failure of the driver to properly negotiate a bend. The car, which had three persons on board, then tumbled off the road. Mrs Christiane Mba, a close friend of Mrs Marie Evelyn Milla, in advanced stage of pregnancy, died on the spot. The driver and Mrs Milla were immediately rushed to hospital where they received first aid treatment. Mrs Milla was later transferred to the Yaounde Central Hospital for a scan before being admitted into the Yaounde University Teaching Hospital for Intensive care. She was later evacuated to France for intensive medical care. « On Thursday, I called my friends of Europe Assistance in Paris to come to my aid. The Ministry of Finance then took care of the rest for the evacuation », he explained.
The aircraft that came for the evacuation left Cameroon on Friday at 5:45pm and arrived in Paris at 12:30am on Saturday. Roger Milla explained that the doctors who accompanied his wife called him and were optimistic about her recovery. But at last! Marie Evelyn Milla gave up the ghost in the afternoon that same day.
Shortly after the announcement of the sad news, hundreds of Cameroonians flooded the home of ace footballer to sympathise with him. Phone calls also came in, notably from the Indomitable Lions who are presently camping in Malaga, Spain.
Roger Milla got married to Marie Evelyn Bea on January 1, 1984. The couple was blessed with two kids, a boy, now 20 and a girl, 14. The funeral will be organised after the 24th African Cup of Nations to take place in Tunisia from January 14th to February 24th.
Irene MORIKANG
