In December of 2003, Joyce Vincent died of an apparent asthma attack in her north London flat. The lady lived alone. The television was left on. The mail continued to be delivered. Her rent was set up to be automatically deducted from her bank account.
The days rolled by and no one noticed she was gone.
Those days turned into weeks and the weeks into months. There were large trash dumpsters on the side of the building next to her unit, so the neighbors never thought much of the smell emanating from her flat.
The floor was full of noisy kids and teenagers and no one questioned the constant hum of television noise in the background.
A photo collage showing Joyce Vincent before and after her demise (Source: online)
Eventually, Joyce’s bank account dried up. Her landlord sent her letters of collection. These letters, like the others, simply fell into the stacks scattered about her floor. They went unanswered.
Finally, with more than six months of overdue rent, the landlord got a court order to forcibly remove her from the premises. The bailiffs broke down the door, and it was only then her body was discovered. By then, it was January, 2006, more than two years after she passed away.
In that time, nobody ever came looking for Joyce Vincent. No family. No friends. No co-workers. No neighbor knocked on the door to see if things were all right. Nobody called. Nobody checked in. She was 38-years-old when she died.
This story is jaw-dropping in its social implications. It feels unfathomable that entire years could go by with no one noticing a person has died. Yet, these sorts of stories happen frequently.
Chances are you’ve seen a news story similar to the one about Joyce Vincent. And they are all the same.
Person lives alone. They lose touch with family and friends. They never meet their neighbors. They stay shut in with their television or computer for years at a time. The world moves on as if they are no longer there until one day, they are no longer there.
Life abroad is fraught with hardship. It’s not always given that an immigrant gets a soft landing when they move overseas for work. It’s always a good thing to follow up on them, via calls and available social media channels.
If you are living abroad, and lucky enough to have a loving family at home rooting for you – keep them in the picture. As you grow in the new environment, let your close family know of the challenges you meet, the multiple jobs you have to juggle and the little things you sacrifice to live the American dream – if you live the States.
Above all, does your success in the diaspora make a positive impact back home? Support your sibling and family, it depends – what blows out their candles? Is it school fees? Is it the house they live in? Are there special conditions that mess up their happiness, like ailments and so on?
Support them from abroad, if you find a solid financial footing.
Presently, it’s an easy thing sending money home safely and instantly from anywhere on the globe, especially with Co-op Bank.
Co-op Bank has a robust bouquet of money transfer solutions for you to choose from. For instance, Remitly – a safe, secure and fast means to send cash from the US, Canada and other European countries to Kenya. There’s MoneyGram – great for sending money locally and around the globe available at any Co-op Bank branch.
There are more solutions available. For the full bouquet of money transfer solutions, visit the nearest Co-op Bank branch, or click this link to learn and register for an all-round experience.
A version of this story has appeared on a write up on @African Voice page on Facebook.
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