Ghanaian deacon in UK dies of Coronavirus on his birthday

A 55-year old Ghanaian living in the United Kingdom has died of the deadly Coronavirus.

Kenneth Yeboah, a bus driver, died on his birthday, April 1 while on admission at Newham Hospital.

He is among the 10 London transport workers believed to have been killed by the virus.

His widow, Charlotte Yeboah, who gave an account of his last moments to the UK’s Evening Standard, said her husband, who was also a deacon at a church in Dagenham, had been “lively and bubbly”, leading worship on stage a little over a week before being admitted to hospital.

According to her, her husband had no underlying health problems beyond high blood pressure.

She added that the father of three had initially been in good spirits after becoming unwell and had not considered himself seriously ill.

His breathing then deteriorated rapidly and he was put on oxygen before losing his fight for life on April 1.

Mrs Yeboah said: “I wasn’t allowed to see him so I was ringing him. At first, he seemed calm but then his breathing began to get difficult. The last time I spoke to him I said, ‘just keep fighting’. In the end he was put on dialysis because his kidneys were stopping working. It was terrible.

“Not long before he went into hospital he had been singing in church. He had been lively and bubbly as always. It’s almost impossible to take in.”

Paying tribute to her husband, she said: “He was an amazing singer who was the life and soul of the church. He was a wonderful father and husband, an incredible family man. We all miss him so much. People have been calling us from around the world. He touched so many people’s lives. The response has been very moving.”

Mr Yeboah’s wife said she wanted to encourage others to follow social-distancing rules by revealing the speed with which the virus can take hold.