“Nothing really prepares you for that moment when a loved one takes the last breath”

Isiolo deputy governor Simba Guleid. (Courtesy)

NAIROBI—Simba Guleid, the deputy governor of Isiolo County has got Kenyans mourning the death of his wife, Shamsa who died Thursday at a London hospital while undergoing treatment for cancer.

In an article that appeared on Standard newspaper on January, Simba described in detail about his late wife’s suffering and the agony of cancer in the country. And on Thursday last week, his wife passed on.

Simba termed the death of his wife “an emotional strain” coming at a time when he least expected.

“Nothing really prepares you for that moment when a loved one takes the last breath. I always thought I could control my emotions but at that moment I did not have any control over my tears and was left sobbing for a while until I composed myself,” Simba, a regular contributor to the Standard, wrote.

Simba said the coming to and to a 23-year marriage to his wife came with a strong dose of heartbreak but he turned to the Quran for solace.

He said, “At such moments, one searches for divine help. It was then when I remembered the Quranic verse; “to God we belong and unto Him we shall return.”

He described his 42-year old Shamsa as the pillar of his strength , adding that he would miss her comforting words.

“I felt hollowness in my heart as I reflected and remembered the good and sad moments we went through together,” he noted.

He continued, “At her hospital bed, I would ask her how she felt, “alhamdulilah” thanks to God, ‘ it can be worse than this,’ she always said, with a warm smile.”

Shamsa was buried the second day at a North London cemetery. The funeral was attended by Kenyans, friends and family.