BY Tracy Noelyn Nassuuna
A huge crowd that disregarded the cold that was mild at first but later numbed the mourners feet and extremities gathered at Doreen Tashobya’s home, in Entebbe, Kitoro, last night. A dead ominous brittle silence prevailed as you reached Doreen’s home.
One would think the shock had silenced the crowd.For a moment you could think she was one of the most popular people in the world and yet in actual sense, she was just a young girl,very youthful and beautiful with a heart so pure, sacrificial and selfless that had slowly,calmly and absolutely touched and healed the hearts of many.
The truth can only be known if a crowd and not just an individual are saying the same thing about a person. You could hear the heartbreaking truth about Doreen.
Not just people were speaking about Doreen Tashobya. Broken hearts were talking, souls that had been touched, minds with only seraphic and desirable memories about her were opening up and by the end of the day all you could know is that she wasn’t just a nice girl to one person, but an angel that was slowly mending the world and before she could finish each one of us, God took her for a better cause.
Many described her as a “people person”, very social, and treated everyone equally regardless of any differences. She easily made many friends from every corner of life and that is why many people have been greatly affected by her death.
“I used to call her a socialite because every time I walked with her, she always stopped to greet someone and she could tell me that was one of her good friends. It really takes a good soul to have many good souls,” a friend muttered at the vigil.
She was a mentor in many people’s lives, guiding them righteously and listening to them whenever they had something to say.
She had solutions to clearly everything and to problems that affected not just her but her friends too. She always influenced most of her friends’ decisions positively to the extent that whenever anyone was stranded, she was the first person to turn to. Doreen was always nice and available to mentor her friends whenever they approached her but unfortunately she never mentored us, her friends on how to seek her help when she was gone.
Others say Doreen was very altruistic and put other’s needs before her own. She was willing to give up everything so as to help her friends. Many described her as a very generous girl.
“When I lost my tuition in year two, Tashobya gave me shs700,000 when they had refused to process my end of year two exam permit. I was almost calling off the year but Doreen withdrew all the money she had on her account just to make sure I sit for the exams. This was her upkeep but she said her and I would starve for some time and we couldn’t die,” said Jojo, one of her close friends who was planning to go to Kenya with her next week on Tuesday for three weeks.
She was also called a leader, a great listener who sacrificed her time to the people she led straight from her childhood. She not only led but also was exemplary to them. At her vigil yesterday, not only did they call her just a friend but a mother to the nation. One of her friends said that her friendship was similar to that they had left home. She mothered all her friends.
With her around, one could always feel at home. She gave them a love that could only be compared to a mother’s love. A love so enduring, patient, understanding and eternal. Even when she is gone, they still feel it amongst them. Her good deeds still pour out to them.
More still, she was a great academician who always brought pride to her parents through her good performance. A genius who always helped her friends with their coursework and used to remind them about discussions.
All her friends wished they had a whole lifetime to talk about Doreen, or the power to bring her back to life so that they could at least show her how grateful they are for having walked through their lives.
Those that have known her will not only miss her but also yearn to meet her in another life. May her soul rest in eternal peace.