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A 26-year-old Nigerian student in the United Kingdom, Obanyeli Jesse Chima, has died after suffering a severe asthma attack while celebrating his birthday with friends in London.
Chima, who had recently completed a master’s degree in Public Health, was awaiting his graduation when the incident occurred on September 19.
According to MyLondon, the deceased was celebrating with his friend, Eva, and her partner at a lounge. The trio had birthdays on consecutive days in September and decided to celebrate together.
During the outing, Chima reportedly told Eva that he needed fresh air after experiencing difficulty breathing.
Despite using three inhalers, his condition reportedly failed to improve. Eva immediately called an ambulance, but Chima collapsed while she was speaking with emergency operators.
His friends began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under the guidance of emergency operators while paramedics worked to stabilise him.
Eva said several ambulances arrived, and medical personnel spent about two hours attempting to stabilise his heart before taking him to hospital, where he was placed on life support.
According to her, doctors initially expressed hope that Chima might recover. However, his condition did not improve, and subsequent tests confirmed that he was brain-dead.
Chima died on September 25, six days after the birthday outing.
Eva described his death as devastating, recalling that they had been laughing and enjoying themselves shortly before the medical emergency.
She said the gathering was a rare opportunity for the friends to celebrate together because of their busy schedules.
The deceased had recently completed his postgraduate studies and was looking forward to his graduation ceremony. His family had reportedly saved money to attend the occasion.
Eva lamented that the funds intended to celebrate his academic achievement would now be needed to support his burial.
Chima and Eva became friends after leaving Nigeria to pursue their studies in London. He also worked at Chelsea Football Club, the English Premier League team he supported.
Describing him as a cherished friend, Eva said Chima was “the life of the party”. His sudden death reportedly shocked friends who had considered him physically fit.
He is survived by three siblings in Nigeria, while his family is making arrangements to repatriate his remains for burial.
Meanwhile, Eva and other friends have launched a fundraising campaign to cover the cost of transporting his body to Nigeria, alongside mortuary charges and other related expenses.
Eva said the family wanted him buried in Nigeria to enable relatives to see him before the burial.
The campaign is seeking to raise between £7,000 and £9,000 to facilitate the repatriation and burial arrangements, as the family grapples with the sudden loss of their son.
