Delphina Ngigi, a Kenyan asylum seeker who died in Canada fell unconscious hours before her death.
Speaking to The Kenya Times, Ngigi’s sister Faith Wairimu said the deceased had arrived in Toronto, Canada on February 15 hoping to change her life and her community back at home.
Three days after her arrival, Delphina lost her consciousness while at an asylum shelter known as Dundas which had admitted scores of other asylum seekers.
In her statement, Wairimu said that paramedics responded to her sister’s health emergency and took her to a hospital for treatment.
Upon her arrival, doctors tried to resuscitate her, but they were unable to save her life as she passed away after less than 24 hours at the hospital.
“She fell unconscious and the paramedics were called, they responded immediately and took her to hospital,” Wairimu told The Kenya Times.
“The doctors tried to resuscitate her, but they were unable to save her and unfortunately Delphina rested.”
According to the sister, Delphina was the first born in a family of five. Her parents are Dickson Ngigi (the late) and Susan Ngigi who hail from Njoro, Nakuru County in Kenya.
Delphina Ngigi was Kind and loving
In her statement, Wairimu mourned Delphina as a sister, friend, mother, and daughter who extended her love to all including her sibling’s children.
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Earlier while speaking to a media outlet in Canada, Faith Wairimu said that her sister had moved to Canada in search of safety and protection.
According to her, the death of their eldest sibling has left them in despair, adding that “so many hearts are broken”.
Regarding the cause of death, the sister noted that they were yet to find out what exactly led to the death and that she was preparing to travel to Canada to understand the circumstances surrounding her death.
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“It could be a combination of things, because our body is a system. … It could be the long travel, it could be the cold and I have a million things going on it my mind,” Wairimu was quoted by CTV.
Currently, plans to hold her memorial service are underway with the Kenyan community in Canada and in the U.S pulling together to fundraise.
Family members and friends back at home are also fundraising to bring her body home, according to the deceased’s sister.
In an update on her Facebook page shared three days ago, Faith Wairimu shared a GoFundMe link which the family is using to crowdfund and invited well-wishers to contribute towards the funeral expenses to be incurred.
Meanwhile, as family and friends organize Delphina’s funeral, pressure has been piling on local authorities in Canada to improve asylum centers.
Delphina Ngigi’s death came months after a Nigerian man died in November while waiting to enter the same shelter in Dundas hence raising concerns about safety standards of the centers in one of the most prosperous countries in the world.