efforts, I took it with me to work. During lunchtime, my Swiss friend Carol Rodocanachi approached me, insisting that I join her for lunch. She sat there, slowly eating her meal, and talked and talked. For nearly a week, Carol invited me to lunch daily. Some of her words have stayed with me until today. Carol had lost her mother at a young age and she said, “Kim, you know, it will never go away, but I promise you, it’s going to get better. The pain is going to get better.” She was right. The pain never disappears, but it does get easier to bear. Carol provided the unconventional therapy I needed. After Christmas, I travelled to the United States to handle the funeral arrangements, returning to Geneva before departing for Ghana to make final preparations for the funeral, which took place in February 2011. We held a wake in the US, and it was incredible. People from all walks of life, some claiming distant relations to us, attended. My mother had always been a socialite, constantly talking to various people, so it wasn’t surprising that so many individuals showed up. By the end of the day, we had collected substantial donations, which covered the expenses for shipping her body back to Ghana and other funeral arrangements. We even had some money left over for the one-year commemoration. It was a testament to the kindness and impact she had on so many lives. New York Moving to the USA to work at UNICEF as a Senior Adviser for Maternal and Newborn Health in 2012 was a significant milestone. I had a great work team in the USA – Aline Simen Kapeu, Seun Oyedele, KristenWenz, and Christabel Nyange. We did great work, coordinating the development of the first-ever global newborn action plan. While I was in New York, I moved into this beautiful mansion. I had always dreamt of living in a mansion. It was beautiful. I remember my aunt coming to visit me and feeling both happy and sad at the same time. She was excited for me but sad that Mummy had not lived long enough to see it. At that time, Kimberley was really young, and I had a wonderful nanny, Julie Ann Thomas, looking after her. New York was nice, family was there, and that year we spent Thanksgiving with Adjoa and her family. Her Thanksgiving prayer was thanking God for bringing her big sister to the US! It was during this time that my adopted Nigerian daughter, Jessica, contacted me, asked for an invitation, and surprisingly got the visa to join us in the USA, and she continues to live there to this day. I even now have a grandson, Brandon. I celebrated my 50th birthday in New Jersey, and just before I left the US inMay 2016, I had another birthday party, and the theme was “Painting New York Red.” So we all wore red and met on a Friday after work. There were lots of Holy Child friends at that party. I think we were sixteen in all. We waited until midnight to cut the cake and then did a lot of dancing before sleeping. Then the following morning, which was my actual birthday, we woke up late, had an ‘ampesi’ breakfast together, and that night went for a dinner cruise on the New York River, the Hudson River. It was fantastic. And then when we were coming home, I wanted a limousine ride, so we rode a limousine home. It was really nice. 29 The Birthday Journal
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