Overcoming loss to change lives

A family in mourning has decided to turn their pain into purpose after the deaths of their two daughters, six months apart.

Howard Gordon, the father of late Immaculate Conception High School (ICHS) students Kimberley and Jhenaè Gordon, along with other family members, have established an annual award to honour the lives of both girls who succumbed to sickle cell disease complications. The bursary is administered by the ICHS Alumnae Association and benefits a fourth-form ICHS student with a passion for art.

Tragedy struck for the first time in August 2020, as Jhenaè was preparing to enter grade nine. Gordon, said that after she passed suddenly, the family discussed the legacy they would want her to leave behind. This led to the birth of a grant to assist a student who had a deep love for art.

Then, in January 2021, their older daughter Kimberley, who had recently completed the sixth form, also passed away.

The bursary, named in memory of the two sisters, is in its second year. This year’s recipient is Hannah Hepburn, who was unanimously selected by the art teachers at ICHS.

“We’re humbled to be able to support the family in this way through the administration of the award, which is a meaningful way to benefit a well-deserving student while honouring the memories of Kimberley and Jhenaè, as well as giving back to our alma mater,” said Kim Mair, president of the alumnae association.

The NCB Foundation also made a donation of $500,000 to the fund.

Happy household

Kimberley’s and Jhenaè’s father shared that their loss has had a deep impact on their family, including the girls’ eldest sister who is a doctor at The University Hospital of the West Indies, where both girls passed. He said, “We were a happy household. So, think of moving from a house that is full of laughter to an empty nest, since [their sister] Michelle is now married [and has moved out].”

Gordon remembers the girls fondly as the close-knit Christian family spent the majority of their time together. “Jhenaè was the quieter of the two. She stayed in her room, and she loved to read and draw. She loved to teach herself to do things, even teaching herself to play the piano on her own.”

He continued, “Kimmy was the typical middle child. She was the diva, the prankster, was full of life, bubbly, never down, sharp wit, and always challenging. She’s the one who was the life of the party, even though she was always sick. In her first seven to eight years, she spent at least five Christmases in the hospital.”

When they passed, the family would learn from their schoolmates that the girls were already well known for their philanthropy. “The moment we’d land abroad and we got to the mall, the first thing they always did was to buy gifts for their friends from a list they made,” reflected Howard.

Further attesting to this, their teachers said that they knew the girls would save money so that they could buy schoolbooks, meals, art supplies and other items for their friends from inner-city communities who could not afford them. “What always impressed me was that they were not giving my money. They didn’t come to me and say: ‘Daddy, buy this for my friend’. They would take it out of their monthly allowance and their lunch money and buy things for those children,” said Gordon.

Donations to the Kimberley and Jhenaè Gordon Memorial fund can be made to the ICHS Alumnae Association by visiting their website www.ichsalumnae.org.