"Mummy is a warrior, and she's showing us how to be warriors."
Ike
When Ike's wife Mimi was diagnosed with terminal cancer aged just 37, Ike didn't want to hear about the plans that she was putting in place to make sure Ike and their two children - Ike Jnr and Chimamanda - were able to cope after she had gone.
Text
“I didn’t want to have those conversations,” he said, “I was trying to fix things, I was trying to solve.”
As Mimi became more unwell, she became confined to a bed and spent her time making preparations for her family. One of the hardest things Ike and Mimi ever had to do was to admit to their children that Mimi was going to die. But telling them what was going to happen helped them to prepare, and to enjoy the time that they had together. “She was super strong all the way,” says Ike, “so focussed and at peace with her destiny.”
Mimi decided to die at Saint Francis Hospice. “I do not want my children to see me die,” she said, “and to die in their home.” When Ike received a phone call from the hospice at 5am, he and his son, Ike Junior, said their last words to Mimi and kissed her. She was 39 years old.
“She did everything she needed to do for me and my children.”
Share your story
Real stories like Ike and Mimi's help us to break down barriers around dying and death. We’re sharing our experiences so that anyone experiencing death, dying and bereavement feels less alone. Will you share yours?
