N'Kele's lowest point after coming to America, perhaps the lowest point ever in his entire life, came when he received the message telling him his mother had died of injuries caused by an automobile accident. The crushing loss of his beautiful, wise, and loving mother with whom he had always been
especially close, slammed into him with a terrible force. She had been his greatest supporter, always encouraging him to develop his talents and follow his dreams.

He was inconsolable. His pain was multiplied by the awful fact that, having newly arrived in the US, he could not raise enough money to fly home for her funeral. He was denied the scant comfort and the closure it would have afforded.

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