The family of a Kenyan nurse who drowned in Canada while live-streaming her swimming session on Facebook says they are stranded in flying her body back home.
According to reports, Hellen “Wendy” Nyabuto was a nurse in Toronto.
In the Thursday video, which has since gone viral, she appears to be in high spirits as she swims from one side of the pool to the other.
The 24-year-old takes regular breaks after each circuit to respond to comments and questions on her live-stream chat.
She makes multiple trips from one side of the pool to the other, but 10 minutes and 30 seconds into the video, she can be seen struggling to stay afloat after she appears to have strayed into the deep end of the pool.
The deceased attempted to swim to the pool’s edge, but she started sinking slowly. She can be heard gasping for air before her cries for help go silent.
Wendy’s family, led by her father, John Nyabuto, has spoken out about her death, saying they are struggling to come to terms with the loss while also figuring out how to bring her body home for a proper send-off.
“I have cried all through since I got the sad information. Her friends have been calling explaining what happened. I’m wondering how the body will get back to Kenya,” Mr. Nyabuto told the Sunday Standard.
“I have lost my daughter and there is nothing I can do. I don’t know the cost of transporting the body back home, the pain is too much. I request for help. She was my only hope. I educated her through difficult means,” he added.
Ms. Nyabuto, who the family describes as “sharp but calm,” graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University after studying oncology nursing at Pwani University, according to her Facebook profile.
Her father revealed that she moved to Canada in 2019 after winning a Green Card lottery for a 10-year study visa.
She was juggling studies and part-time nursing practice in the North American country.
“I was happy she had gone to Canada and could assist me in educating her other siblings,” her father said, “She was at least willing to assist her family. God had answered my prayers. She was working part-time to pay her school fees.”
Mr. Nyabuto also stated that he learned of her daughter’s death through a message from a friend in Canada. He later received a call from Canada informing him that his Hellen had become ill and was being rushed to the hospital.
“Moments later I saw a video clip of my daughter swimming. She was happy. Her colleague at work called and gave the phone to another person who informed me that my daughter had died in a swimming pool not far from where she was working,” he told the publication.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nybuto’s body has been recovered and moved to a Toronto mortuary for a postmortem.
