A 26-year-old Nigerian international student, Obanyeli Jesse Chima, has died after suffering an asthma attack while preparing to celebrate his birthday with friends in London.
Chima had recently completed his master’s degree in Public Health and was awaiting graduation when the incident occurred.
According to MyLondon, the incident happened on Saturday, September 19, when Chima met his friend, Eva, and her partner to celebrate their birthdays, which fell on consecutive days.
While waiting in a lounge, Chima reportedly told Eva that he needed to step outside for some air because he was experiencing an asthma attack.
He began struggling to breathe and used three inhalers he had with him, but they failed to provide relief.
Eva called an ambulance, but Chima collapsed while she was speaking to the emergency operator.
Eva told MyLondon: “Our friend started CPR after being guided by the ambulance operators. Multiple ambulances came, and they spent around two hours working on him to stabilise his heart. They finally got him to the hospital and told us he’s on life support. They said he might only have memory loss, but he will be fine.
“Two days later, they said he’s not getting better. There was no improvement. They eventually did a brain test on him and confirmed that he was brain-dead. On September 25, we lost him. It’s horrible because we were just laughing, and four days later, we had to see his lifeless body.”
She said the gathering had been planned as an opportunity for the friends to celebrate their birthdays together, as all three had birthdays in September.
“The weekend he suffered was the only weekend we all had free – all our birthdays are in September. He, my partner, and I all have our birthdays one day after another. That weekend was our chance to hang out, but instead we ended up at the hospital.”
Chima had recently completed his master’s degree in Public Health and was looking forward to his graduation.
“His family had saved money for his graduation, and now that money needs to be used to bury their child. It’s horrible”, Eva continued.
Chima and Eva became friends after leaving Nigeria to study in London. He had also worked at Chelsea Football Club, the team he supported.
Eva described him as a ‘beloved and cherished friend who was the life of the party’.
Despite being described as physically fit, his sudden death shocked his friends, who had not anticipated such an outcome.
Chima leaves behind three siblings in Nigeria, where his family is making arrangements to bring his body home for burial.
To support the grieving family, Eva and her friends have launched a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of transporting his body to Nigeria, alongside mortuary fees and other related expenses.
Explaining the reason for the fundraiser, Eva said: “We’re trying our best to see what we can raise. His family were planning for graduation. As international students, it’s tough already. We want to help take the burden off his family. Nobody has money saved up to bury a child.
“His dad made enquiries about burying him in the UK but most of his family is in Nigeria. The family want to see his body before they lay him to rest, so returning him to Nigeria makes more sense; he should be closer to home.”
Eva hopes to raise between £7,000 and £9,000 to cover the costs of repatriating Chima’s body to Nigeria.
