“You can see what happened in the video,” said Alfonce Nyamwaya, a close friend of the victim, Hellen Wendy. “That leaves you wounded.” Wendy had worked an early morning shift at a long-term care home in Owen Sound, Ont., last Thursday. It was 2 in the afternoon when he returned to the motel where he was staying. Soon after, Wendy went for a swim in the motel pool while recording herself via a Facebook Live. He had been in the water for about 10 minutes when tragedy struck. A video shows her screaming for help, unable to swim into the deep without anyone to rescue her. Less than a minute later, there is silence. A still from a video recording shows Wendy Hellen moments before she started swimming. (Facebook) “I can’t say how I feel because it’s really hard,” Nyamwaya told CBC Toronto. “All I can say is that we have lost a truly wonderful, hard-working, passionate girl.” According to the video, just after 5pm, another hotel guest found Wendy in the pool and stopped the live broadcast. Ontario Provincial Police say they were called to the scene just before 5:45 p.m. — nearly four hours after Wendy’s death. Wendy’s family describe her as “full of life … with a warm smile and a charming heart.” (Helen Wendy/Facebook) “One person was removed from the water and pronounced dead after lifesaving measures were unsuccessful,” according to an OPP statement issued last Friday. Police say they were aware that video of the incident had surfaced on social media, adding that “appropriate steps are being taken to remove it.”

The family needs $50,000 to repatriate her body

Wendy came to Canada from her native Kenya in 2019 and immediately enrolled in college to become a certified PSW. Wendy worked in various long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic while also studying to become a nurse. “She was someone who really wanted to serve people and help people,” said Enock Nyabuto, one of her five younger siblings. Wendy arrived in Canada in 2019 from Kenya. She immediately enrolled in college to become a certified personal support worker. (Helen Wendy/Facebook) Nyabuto said his sister urged him to come to Canada after she got there herself. It was through her guidance that he also became a certified PSW. “Hellen was like a role model for us,” he said. “The rest of the brothers, we looked at her”
While still struggling to cope with their loss, Wendy’s family has shifted their efforts to bringing her body home to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, which comes with a hefty price tag of $50,000. That’s why Nyabuto helped start a GoFundMe in hopes of giving Wendy “a good send off.” “Your generous contribution to this cause is greatly appreciated as we go through this extreme time of losing a loved one,” the GoFundMe reads. Wendy, right, worked in Ontario long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Submitted by Enock Nyabuto) As of Wednesday morning, more than $50,000 had been raised by donors, many of whom also offered their condolences. “Wishing you and your family peace and comfort in your grief,” one person wrote. Although the family is “devastated,” Nyabuto hopes bringing her body home will bring some closure.

Never swim alone

Wendy’s family says she knew basic swimming skills but had no experience in the water. One organization says this tragedy is a stark reminder to always swim with someone else. “Even incredibly strong swimmers should never swim alone because something unexpected can happen,” said Barbara Byers, a senior researcher at the Lifesaving Society. He also urges novice swimmers to always wear a life jacket, adding that drowning can happen very quickly when someone’s head goes underwater. “Often the response is to go into shock, a gasp. When you gasp you open your mouth and when you open your mouth you get water,” Byers said. “Suddenly you’re in a very scary situation.”