Jeremy, a generous genius and the husband of my dearest friend and colleague, is no longer with us. In his usual graciousness, he has moved on to prepare a path for us.

 

After Ineke and Jeremy's wedding, I visited them in Grabow, South Africa, and we quickly discovered many common interests. I was amazed to learn that he was one of the pioneers of community radio. We talked extensively about his experiences. He told me how, at an earlier age, he had been inclined to turn radios into transmitting stations. Together, we began exploring the possibility of setting up a community radio station in my village, Batcheu, in Cameroon. 

 

As budget constraints emerged as one of the biggest challenges, Jeremy actively sought various possibilities to establish a community radio station. According to him, it was possible to receive amplitude modulation (AM) radio without electricity. He explained that this technology is as old as radio itself—a crystal set. He had one when he was a child; it was a plastic device resembling a toy rocket. With a short wire and an earphone, he would sneak it into school, listen to local radio, and no one knew it.

 

Afterward, the couple left for work in Macau, China, and their plan to visit my village was no longer a priority. Although the community radio station in Batcheu has yet to be implemented, the groundwork is in place.

 

Doing good and helping others seemed effortless for Jeremy. He always tried to find a way to help whenever I was in need. When my daughter was going through difficult times, he offered valuable advice based on his own experiences that turned out to be decisive. 

 

He had a way of conveying his messages that were both modest and humorous. Once, my email box had been hacked, and messages that were sent out to people were not at all good. When he received his, he simply told me, "I just got one message I suspect is not really from you, but is instead a virus bait.  It is posted from a .br top level domain.   Your previous emails are from a .fr domain.  Some of your friends may be unhappy..." He was so loving and deeply cared about others, always finding ways to help.

 

Two years ago, I visited Ineke and Jeremy again and noticed that Jeremy looked frail. He confided in me that he had almost died but chose not to follow that path because he didn't want to see Ineke suffer; so, he came back.

 

Every morning, Ineke prepared various beverages to boost his immune system and detox. One morning, it was celery juice. He visibly disliked it, but when he saw me drinking mine and encouraging him to join in, he looked at me with childlike eyes and asked, "Do you think this will show her that I am a real man?" We both smiled, and he drank the beverage in one go. 

 

He was truly generous and caring. Why did he not win this battle this time? May be a message for us all, that there is no death. And from where he is, he will continue supporting Ineke.