Kesi still feeling pain of losing mom

by Viclene Matthews 22.AUG.08

If given the choice, she would rather not have been born.

To Kesi Keane, life seems to have dealt her a bad hand. At first glance, Kesi appears to be a normal teenaged girl, but closer inspection reveals a life which has undoubtedly been a bumpy ride thus far.{{more}}

At the age of one year, four months, Kesi lost her mother Elizabeth “Liz” Keane. Nineteen-year-old Elizabeth died when she was struck by a missile at Villa, while returning from a New Democratic Party (NDP) motorcade during the 1994 general elections.



“Liz”, as she was affectionately known, was this country’s first elections campaign fatality. As a result of that tragedy, Kesi never got the opportunity to know her mother. Most of us take for granted having our mother or even our father present at our first day of school; Kesi never had that experience.

She finds it hard not having her mother around because “When you hear people talking about their mother, you can’t say nothing because you don’t really know she.” With pain etched on her face and resonating from her voice, Kesi bluntly stated: “All I know is that she died at an election or something like that”.

However, with the help of her grandmother, Kesi was able to get a taste of a mother’s love. This was not for long. Tragedy pushed its unsavory presence into this young girl’s life yet again. At the tender age of 12, she lost her grandmother Patsy Nash. This double whammy appears to have taken its toll on Kesi, who is now 15 years old. “It was hard sometimes. I used to think about it, then break down. I still ain’t get over it yet, but I still trying,” the Gibson Corner resident said.



Not only did she not have a mother in her life, but Kesi’s father wasn’t around most of the time either.

Anger takes precedence when she thinks about her father. Kesi believes that he should have performed his role better, seeing that her mother was not around. “He was suppose to step up if my mummy ain’t dey and mind me to the fullest, come see me at least everyday, to see how ah doing or if I eating,” explained Kesi.

She is now trying to forgive him because he has since apologised and they are trying to build a relationship.

For this third form student, life’s challenges are never far away. After the death of her grandmother, Kesi went to live with her great-aunt. This only lasted for a few years as things did not work out. She now lives with a young woman, whom she describes as being a mother to her. Kesi, who many describe as being the mirror image of her mother, thinks that she does not deserve the love and care provided by her present caregiver. “Sometimes I does tell she I’m not worthy for that”. One may wonder why? This young lady is influenced by the negative comments made by persons who claim that she would be just like her mother. Elizabeth gave birth to Kesi while she was still a teenager.

In 1994, when Kesi lost her mother, a promise was made by the NDP to take care of her until she is18 years of age.

Kesi told Searchlight that when her grandmother was alive and while living with her aunt, she received an allowance from the party. She said she does not know if this is still ongoing, because she no longer lives with her aunt. She said the party also provided her with school supplies.

However, NDP party president Arnhim Eustace told Searchlight that Kesi has not received any allowance from the party for some time, as her aunt has informed him that she no longer lives with her.

“I don’t know where she has gone to,” he said. He stated that the person she resides with now has never sought any assistance from the party.

The former student of the Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia, who now attends the Kingstown Multi Purpose Centre, aims to finish school and become a veterinarian or a teacher.

When Searchlight spoke with her, she was looking forward to her results in the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level competence (CCSLC) exams.

One hopes that the worst is behind this brave young woman and that the future that awaits her would make her happy to be alive.