A Kenyan woman living in London painfully recounted the last words of her 22-year-old son who committed suicide in 2020 by jumping from the topmost floor of a mall.
During an interview with Lynn Ngugi, the mother admitted that she was in denial after the incident noting that the incident caught her off guard since her son put on a happy face every day.
Subsequently, she did not tell her other children that their brother committed suicide. At one point, she blamed herself for failing to see the signs earlier.
"12 days before he died, he was the happiest. The last time I saw him, he was on the stairs practicing magic because his sister's birthday was coming up," she recalled.
When she talked to him the night before, he was joyous and said, "Good night, I love you, mom."
Unknown to her, those were the last words from her firstborn son.
“On October 13, I was feeling uneasy at work and I decided to go home. I cleaned the house and prepared a meal for my family then I heard a knock on the door," she recounted.
At the door, she was shocked to find police officers who asked her to accompany them to the hospital. Since the father was a police officer too, she called him and made inquiries.
Confused and unaware of the news she would receive, she was led to the waiting room and five doctors broke the news to her.
"I refused to believe my son was dead. I asked them to take me to where he was and I saw him lying on the bed as if he was sleeping with tubes attached to him," she painfully narrated while holding back tears.
Failing to believe her son committed suicide, police officers handed over CCTV footage showing his last moments at the mall as he took his last breath.
According to the mother, from the footage, the 22-year-old is seen debating the effects of his fall from several floors before heading to the topmost floor and jumping to the ground.
"You see him arriving at the mall (his favourite place), very happy, dressed nicely as usual no signs of any problem," she explained.
After the incident, the mother became suicidal but received help through a support group. She also found videos of the young man dealing with depression and crying inside his room.
"I am very proud of the person my son was, a very intelligent young man," she concluded.
Following the heartbreaking incident, she has partnered with other parents in the UK to champion the inclusion of suicide prevention into the curriculum.
"Please talk to anyone your parent, teacher, neighbour if you are feeling suicidal. It is okay not to be okay," she urged.
Counsellors, medics, and psychologists advise that you can always reach out for help when experiencing any mental health issues. Call Kenya Red Cross toll-free hotline, 1199, for support.
