Gogo Heraso was allowed to rest peacefully and with dignity

Our social work team informed me that a woman over 90 years old urgently needed a wheelchair. I wanted to see Heraso's home for myself. We drove as close to her hut as possible and walked the rest of the way. I will probably never forget the conditions in which we found her. This almost blind woman was lying in a dark, dirty room on an old, thin, dirty mattress on the floor. Next to her "bed" there was only a cup, a plate and a wooden chair. That was all she owned. The strong smell of excrement and the inhumane conditions disgusted me. When we greeted her, she beamed at us and held out her dirty hand. We asked her to go outside and get some fresh air. She crawled outside on all fours. Tears came to my eyes. How can it be that such an old woman, who deserved a pleasant end to her life, was so neglected and had to crawl on all fours? Her knees were all calloused and flat from crawling. Despite these adverse circumstances, she was so friendly to us and grateful for our visit. That overwhelmed my mind. Back home, I tried to come to terms with this "misery" with many tears.

A few days later, we brought her a wheelchair. She was still wearing the same clothes. The organization "LRI" now regularly sent a team to clean her home and take care of her as best they could. When her condition worsened, we took her to the hospice. After a few days, she was able to rest peacefully in a warm, clean bed, surrounded by loving carers. Gogo Heraso was able to die with dignity. Her living conditions had previously been inhumane. And yet she gave us a hearty, sincere and warm smile. This smile was all she had and yet it was so precious.