Support the family of the late Akwasi Addae

Hello, my name is David, and I am raising money to help the family of Akwasi Addae, the NIH employee who fell into a shaft to his death on January 10, 2024. The goal of this GoFundMe is to raise money for the family of Akwasi Addae, who tragically lost a loving, hardworking, and dedicated father to an accident at work. It is also to allow friends, well-wishers, and anyone across the country who has been touched by the painful nature of the passing of this gregarious man to contribute to and help his family. This is a link to one of the several news articles announcing his death: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/nih-employee-dies-falling-through-grate/65-cbcb3d36-456c-404f-a87b-b3ddce91dcc2

It was a black Wednesday, indeed. Akwasi had left home, like so many other mornings, for work early that morning; however, it was not like all the other days. A little after midday, his wife, Rita, got a visit from Prince William County Police Officers to tell her that her husband had passed away at work! He was working on a building at the National Institute of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda, MD and had fallen into a shaft/vent to his death. It was Wednesday, January 10, 2024, and Akwasi was only 45 years old. Akwasi was cheerful, funny, gregarious, friendly, generous, kind, empathetic, and an ever-willing help. His larger-than-life presence is greatly missed, and his loss has been felt in the DMV area.

Akwasi left behind a wife and four beautiful children ranging from 6 to 15 years old. Barely a month earlier, Rita had had surgery on her foot to correct a longstanding issue that required 3-6 months to heal. Heeding her husband’s advice, she resigned from her work position to focus on healing entirely and quickly. She still remembers a scolding she received from her husband four days earlier for trying to schedule a job interview even though she was supposed to be recuperating from the surgery. This is a loss that has shattered this family, and these funds will help them put their lives back together as well as start a college fund for his four children.