A 37-year-old Nigerian woman, Chidimma Ezenyili, tragically passed away on February 24th after collapsing while working as a caregiver. Ezenyili, who reportedly went by the nickname “Suzy,” had been caring for an 86-year-old client, Ian Hale, in Bishop’s Stortford for the past five months.
MDB garnered that Ezenyili had been feeling unwell but felt a strong sense of duty towards her client. Her dedication was highlighted by Hale’s daughter, Catherine Segal, who revealed Ezenyili even insisted on working despite her condition. Ezenyili’s husband, Friday, had to drive her to work that day, accompanied by their three-year-old daughter.
Segal said, “She (Ezenyili) was driven there by her husband with their three-year-old daughter as she wasn’t feeling well but didn’t want to let my dad down.”
Speaking further, Segal said the caregiver collapsed on Thursday, February 22, and stopped breathing and did not have a pulse. “Naturally, her husband started shouting for help. The neighbourhood raced to help. Myself and my husband ran outside along with our next-door neighbour and our neighbour from across the road. We had two GoodSAM first responders arrive shortly after to assist. The community first responder along with several ambulances, police and the critical care team arrived to take over attempts to save her life and were successful in getting her on life support in the ambulance.”
Following her collapse, Ezenyili was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Sadly, doctors diagnosed a severe brain hemorrhage. Life support was withdrawn two days later.
Ezenyili’s story has garnered attention due to her background. News outlets report she was a qualified lawyer in Nigeria who chose to work as a caregiver in the UK to provide a better future for her family. Segal described Ezenyili as a “really good carer” who intended to pursue her legal qualifications in the UK after completing her caregiver sponsorship program.
