37-year-old Nigerian caregiver slumps at work in UK, dies after two days

Nigeria caregiver in UK Chidimma Ezenyili

A Nigerian caregiver in the United Kingdom Chidimma Ezenyili has died two days after slumping on February 22.

Mrs Ezenyili collapsed while attending to an elderly woman Ian Hale at Scott Road, according to News Express on Wednesday.

Ezenyili reportedly practised law in Nigeria before migrating to the UK. She had been caring for Hale for the past five months. Ezenyili and her husband Friday relocated in August 2023 to provide their toddler daughter, Mandy, with a brighter future.

Catherine Segal, Hale’s daughter, recounted the events, noting that despite feeling unwell, Ezenyili continued her duties out of commitment to her responsibilities.

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.”

Segal said the deceased was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where doctors at the neurosciences critical care unit discovered she had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage.

In his narration, Segal’s husband, Saul said; “Sadly, life support was turned off two days later, on February 24, and she passed with her husband by her side. Suzy came here as a carer to fill a need in our community. She was qualified in law in Nigeria and was planning to attain her qualifications to practise law here after her sponsorship as a carer finished. She was a really good carer. Kind, considerate and always willing to help no matter what the circumstances. Her dream was for her daughter, Mandy, to attend school in the UK and to make a new life here where she would have the opportunities that Suzy and Friday never had growing up in Nigeria.”