In loving memory of Obanyeli Jesse Chima

2 September 2000 – 25 September 2026

On 25 September 2026, we lost our dear friend, Obanyeli Jesse Chima, just five days after a severe asthma attack. He was only 26 years old.

We are raising £9,000 to bring Jesse’s body home from the UK to Nigeria, so his parents and three siblings can lay him to rest and say their final goodbyes.

During the attack, Jesse used the three inhalers he had with him, but none relieved his breathing difficulties. He asked his friends to call an ambulance. While a friend was speaking to the 999 operator, he collapsed, and his friends immediately began CPR.

When the ambulance arrived, paramedics spent approximately two hours trying to stabilise his heart, which repeatedly failed, before they were able to take him to hospital. On arrival, he was placed on a ventilator and other life support machines.

In the days that followed, we held on to hope that he would recover. Doctors later told us that his brain had been without enough oxygen for several minutes. He was subsequently declared brain dead, and on 25 September, we lost him.

Just weeks earlier, on 2 September, Jesse had celebrated his 26th birthday. It is difficult to comprehend that a month which began with celebrating his life ended with mourning his loss.

Jesse had so much to look forward to. He had studied Medical Laboratory Science and had just completed his master’s degree in Public Health in the UK. He was awaiting his graduation, a milestone that should have been a moment of joy for him and his family.

He was a beloved son, a brother, a cherished friend and a passionate Chelsea supporter. For those who knew and loved him, his absence leaves a space that words cannot describe.

His mother, father and three siblings are now facing the heartbreak of life without him. Alongside their grief, they face the cost of bringing their son and brother home.

How your donations will help

Our £9,000 target will help cover the necessary arrangements and transportation to return Jesse’s body to Nigeria for burial. The money raised will be given to Jesse’s father to help pay for these arrangements.

If you can give £5, £10, £20 or whatever you can afford, your contribution will bring us closer to bringing Jesse home and ease the financial burden on his family.

If you are unable to donate, please share this fundraiser with your friends, family, colleagues and community. Your share could reach someone who can help.

We cannot bring Jesse back, however much we wish we could. But we can come together to help his family bring him home and lay him to rest with dignity and love.

Thank you for every donation, every share, every prayer and every message of support. Your kindness means so much to all of us who love and miss him.

Please help us bring Jesse home.

In loving memory of Obanyeli Jesse Chima.

Forever loved. Forever missed. Never forgotten. ❤️