Brief account of the circumstances of Fr. Edwin’s death

Condolences to all of us. Edwin is leaving us without waiting for us!

Here is a brief account of what has happened in the last three days.

Monday afternoon (7/6/2021) Edwin had a stomach ache. He went to buy 4 tablets to relieve the pain. In the evening, at 9 o’clock, he felt the need to go to the regional hospital in Gitega. On my way back from Bujumbura, I met him at the gate. He told me that he did not really need to be accompanied… Forty-five minutes later, I called him. He told me that he would be back soon. Finally, he comes back at 2 o’clock in the night. I was beaten down by the sun from the long journey. At four o’clock, he woke me up so that I could take him to the hospital.

We went to Bethany hospital, in Songa, as he wanted. At four thirty, he was admitted in the emergencies. Edwin was complaining of burning pain in the stomach. It was related to the pancreas, according to tests done in Kenya a few months earlier. The nursing staff were dedicated, professionally competent, as we know them. After some tests, the doctors decided to admit him to hospital. The diagnosis was similar to the one in Nairobi: acute blood infection linked to pancreatic pain. The efforts gave some results: the pain comes and goes. Yesterday at ten fifty (Tuesday evening), before leaving the hospital and after having brought another sick carer, I spoke with Dr Lamberta, “the chief doctor of Bethany Hospital”, who said: “we have really deployed everything we believed necessary to contain the situation. If tomorrow there is no visible improvement, we will refer him to Bujumbura. This morning (Wednesday), at four thity, I arrived at Bethany hospital. At eight thirty, we left for Bujumbura. We passed through our community in Gitega, where Edwin went out himself to collect his passport in his room. He met Father Bernard and greeted him. Two hundred meters from Murayi, Edwin began to say “incomprehensible” things. His eyes began to spin, his mouth to shift to the side. Supported by two people, one on each side, he was immediately taken to the medical clinic in Murayi. A doctor received us, he did everything he could, but Erwin’s body was getting colder and colder. The doctor said that this was not a good sign at all. He injected him with adrenaline which had no effect, as Edwin passed away peacefully.

After getting the death certificate, we took his body to the mortuary in Gitega, and made all the necessary arrangements. I returned to the community at five twenty in the evening.
May our brother remain in the eternal peace of the Father.

Jean-Bosco Ntihebuwayo
(Provincial Delegate of Burundi)
Wednesday evening, 9 June 2021.