This is going to be our saddest ever Christmas without Mercy
Eric vows to give son Adriel the best day possible
Gordon Blackstock
The former partner of tragic asylum seeker Mercy Baguma has revealed the heartache of their son’s first Christmas without his mum.
Eric Nnanna said he and little Adriel have been flooded with invites from friends to spend December 25 with them.
But the 30- year- old dad said celebrating the climax of the festive season with 21-month-old Adriel will be “really hard” following Mercy’s sudden death.
The 34-year- old mum’s body lay undiscovered in her home for days while the toddler was in his cot with an empty milk bottle.
Student Eric said that despite the anguish and Covid-19 rules, he is determined to give their son the best Christmas possible.
The Strathclyde Univers i t y engineering undergraduate said: “It’s going to be a very sad Christmas without Mercy.
“I remember the last two we shared together – 2018 as a couple and 2019 as a family.
“This year won’t be the same without her and will be the first as just me and Adriel. It’s going to be really hard. Coronavirus makes things even harder.
“We’ve had a lot of invites from friends and we’ll probably go to someone’s house if the rules allow. It will help take my mind of thinking about Mercy.”
Mercy was found dead in her flat in Glasgow’s Govan in August. She lay undiscovered for four days before Eric raised the alarm. Adriel needed medicmedical attention after being found aloalone in his cot.
MercMercy, originally from Uganda, died of alcohol poisoning and diabetic complication ketoketoacidosis. Her family say she had no history of alcohol abuse. ThThe waitress, who came from a wwealthy family, left her homelanland for Britain in 2006. Earlier MISSED Mum Mercy this year, her limited leave to remain in Scotland expired and she had to give up her job at the city’s Calabash African restaurant, forcing her to rely on charity handouts before she died.
Her body was repatriated to Uganda for her funeral but Eric and Adriel did not attend. They held a candlelit vigil at Elder Park which was close to her home.
Nigerian Eric was given asylum to stay in the UK following Mercy’s death.
He said last Christmas was spent preparing dishes from their homelands.
The dad added: “Mercy loved to make a dish called Matoke from Uganda.
“It’s their national dish and is a type of steamed green cooking banana. She loved making it.
“Adriel and I will miss her so much this Christmas and it won’t be the same without her.
“Fortunately I have a good support network around me and I have some
help with Adriel through friends and a charity.”
Eric hopes Father Christmas will deliver lots of toys for Adriel to open on Christmas day.
He added: “I hope Santa will be very kind to Adriel.
“He’s a big football fan like Mercy and I – although it was something we disagreed on.
“It’s only in the last few days I’ve had enough time to get a Christmas tree up and put up decorations and its all been quite last-minute.
“It’s a very hard situation I find myself in. My course is done remotely because of coronavirus so I don’t need to travel on to campus and can do the work from home.
“But Adriel is very young and takes a lot of work. He’s very energetic and intelligent like his mum. He’s always moving about.
“All parents will know how much time it takes in being a dad or a mum to a toddler. I’m both now.
“But I’m not feeling sorr y for myself. I couldn’t bear to be away from my son. I’m just trying to build a future for us in Scotland that would make Mercy proud”.
A charity trust fund total l ing more than £75,000 has been set up to help with Adriel ’s education and activities growing up as well as a fund to give him when he turns 25.
Eric said he was “extremely grateful for the generous donations”.
Robina Qureshi, of the anti-racist refugee and migrant homelessness charity Positive Action in Housing, said: “We are all very relieved that Eric and Adriel have bene given asylum.
“We know how di f f icult and isolating Christmas will be for the family, especially with the current pandemic.”