Almost one year after the passing of Bridget Okonkwo, mother of HEAL Founder Deacon Leo, we now report with sadness the passing of Deacon Leo’s elder sister, Priscilla. Priscilla was 52 years old and died of complications from hypertension and type A Diabetes. Upon hearing the news from Deacon Leo, I assured him of the prayers and condolences of the HEAL family for Priscilla’s soul and for all the Okonkwo household in their time of mourning and loss.
Priscilla, in her time among us, was a strong supporter and sharer in the mission God gave to her junior brother. In the early days, when Leo was focusing resources on poor and marginalized orphans and rural village children, resistance and disagreement emerged within the Okonkwo family over the nature and scope of the mission. Priscilla was the first to understand that the mission was meant to go out to the rural villagers and beyond the needs of the immediate and extended family.
Priscilla herself was no stranger to the hardships of village life in southeast Nigeria. She was married, but unable to have children. This caused her great sorrow, naturally, but also due to cultural pressure and expectations. Leo believes this distress contributed to her ill health and eventual early death. In remembering Priscilla, therefore, HEAL dedicates itself to helping people understand that children are gifts from God and children should not be mandated by unfair expectations.
Priscilla was beloved for her calm demeanor and simplicity. Leo describes her as “marginalized” in a sense as she never received a formal education beyond primary level. After their father, Berthrand, was injured in 1978 and could no longer financially support his large family, the Okonwko children had to work. Leo himself missed three years of formal education, working as a house servant, before regaining an opportunity to return to school. Several of his siblings, however, including Priscilla, were not so blessed as funds were unavailable.
As HEAL says farewell to Priscilla, and celebrates her life among us, we also see her as a symbol of our mission. She embodied the conditions we encounter everyday in our work, as we provide education, poverty relief, and hope to the least of God’s children (Mt. 25:40). Help us help them, in Priscilla’s memory!