(CNN) — The father of a Kenyan woman who drowned in a Canadian swimming pool while livestreaming on Facebook has spoken out regarding the loss her family suffered.
Hellen Wendy Nyabuto might be seen in a video struggling to stay afloat following diving into the deep end of the pool last week.
The 23-year-old health worker, who lived in Toronto, had previously responded to comments from onlookers before resuming her swim.
Hellen Wendy drowned in a swimming pool while doing a livestream on Facebook.
His body was seen hours later at the bottom of the pool. According to his brother, he drowned in Collingwood, Ontario, the city where he worked.
His father, Nyabuto John Kiyondi, 56, told CNN from his home in Kenya: “I saw the video. I cried. It’s terrible.”
“She contacted me two days before she lost her life. It sounded great and I was very happy. She promised me a phone. I didn’t feel anything abnormal,” he said.
Nyabuto lived with her younger brother, Enock, in a Toronto apartment and worked part-time as a health worker while studying nursing, her family said.
“He’s been in Canada for regarding three years,” said Enock, one of his five brothers. “All financial responsibilities for her (for her family in Kenya) fell on her,” he added.
back to square one
Wendy’s father, a small farmer from Kisii, southwestern Kenya, said he is “back to square one” now that his daughter is gone.
“She used to help me financially to educate her siblings, especially in terms of school fees and other expenses. Now I’m stuck and I’m back to square one. I wonder how her little brothers are going to continue studying,” Kiyondi told CNN.
All she wants now is for her daughter’s body to return to Kenya.
“According to our tradition, one is supposed to be buried where one was born. I will not feel comfortable, psychologically, if my daughter is buried far from Kenya,” he said.
Repatriating Wendy’s body will take a heavy toll on her family’s meager resources and Enock said they have launched a GoFundMe Campaign to raise 50,000 Canadian dollars (regarding US$38,000) to help pay for his burial costs.
“The family is going through a difficult time right now. All we want is for his body to be transported home for burial,” he said.
