Gospel singer Shiru Wa GP has shared the painful story of her best friend Betty Bayo’s last moments in the hospital.
Speaking during a burial planning meeting, Shiru said Betty went through a hard time before she passed away. She said her friend’s final wish was to be treated with dignity and not be posted on social media.
“She told me, ‘Please don’t let anyone take pictures of me.’ She wanted to be respected until her last moment,” Shiru said.
Shiru said she almost fought someone in the hospital who tried to take a photo of Betty. She explained that her friend didn’t want people to see her when she was weak and sick.
When Betty’s health got worse, Shiru said she paid KSh 260,000 at the hospital so her friend could be admitted. She then called other musicians like Ben Githae, Loise Kim, and family members to come quickly.
“When I saw her, she kept saying, ‘I want blood A positive.’ That’s when I knew something was very wrong,” Shiru said. “She looked so weak. She wasn’t the same Betty I had seen the night before.”
Doctors later told them that Betty Bayo had suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot in her brain. When Shiru touched her, she noticed one side of her friend’s face had drooped.
The doctors said she was bleeding inside her head and that she had acute mild leukaemia, which had been hiding in her body.
Shiru said the doctors then moved Betty to the ICU. She and her friends were not allowed to go in with her.
“We cried so much,” Shiru said. “We just stood outside, praying for her.”
She also shared that Betty had been complaining of extreme fatigue for nearly three years, not knowing it was the disease slowly affecting her body.
“She was always tired, but we didn’t know why. Now I understand it was the sickness,” she said.
Before she passed away, Betty asked Shiru to take care of her daughter.
“I promised her I would look after her child,” Shiru said. “I know Betty would have done the same for me.”
Betty’s death has left her friends, family, and fans heartbroken. They remember her for her strong faith, her humility, and her beautiful songs. Though she is gone, her memory and music will live on.
By Vivian K.