A Kenyan woman drowns in a pond during a Facebook Live broadcast

(CNN) – The father of a Kenyan woman who drowned in a Canadian swimming pool spoke during a Facebook Live about the loss of her family.

Hellen Wendy Nyabuto can be seen in a video as she struggles to stay afloat after diving into the deep end of the pool last week.

The 23-year-old health worker, who lives in Toronto, had previously responded to spectator comments before swimming resumed.

Helen Wendy drowned in a swimming pool while doing a live broadcast on Facebook.

His body was seen hours later at the bottom of the pond. According to his brother, he drowned in Collingwood, Ontario, the city where he was working.

“I saw the video. I cried. It’s horrible,” his father, Nyabutu John Kiwende, 56, told CNN from his home in Kenya.
“She called me two days before she lost her life. It looked great and I was very happy. She promised me a phone. I didn’t feel anything abnormal,” he said.

Nyabutu lived with her younger brother, Enoch, in an apartment in Toronto and worked part-time as a health worker while studying nursing, her family said.

“He’s been in Canada for about three years,” said Enoch, one of his five brothers. “All the financial responsibilities (of her family in Kenya) rest with her,” he added.

Back to square one

Wendy’s father, a small farmer from Kisii, southwestern Kenya, said he was “back to square one” now that his daughter is gone.

“She was helping me financially for her siblings’ education, especially with regards to school fees and other expenses. Now I’m stuck and back to square one. I wonder how her younger siblings will continue to study,” Kiyondi told CNN.

All she wants now is for her daughter’s body to be returned to Kenya.

“According to our traditions, one is supposed to be buried where one was born. I will not feel psychologically comfortable if I bury my daughter away from Kenya,” he said.

Repatriating Wendy’s body will take a heavy toll on her family’s scarce resources GoFundMe campaign To raise 50,000 Canadian dollars (about 38,000 US dollars) to help pay for his burial.

“The family is going through a difficult time at the moment,” he said. “All we want is to take his body home for burial.”