Henriette ‘Thatcher’ Nshan Tem, who died on February 27, aged 46, soldierly fought cancer and impacted humanity through her writings.
“I wish I can ask God why me, when will all these pains and suffering come to an end. But who am I to question His decision. Good morning house and happy Sunday,” the influential Cameroonian blogger wrote on her Facebook Page Henriette Thatcher’s Lounge, on February 7, 2021.
The Facebook platform with 40,000 followers is styled as “a home for information, education, inspiration, motivation, consolation, true love and solidarity. A place to heal our unseen pains, fears and hopelessness. Here, we make the world a better place for everyone.”
A picture of Henrietta, confined to a hospital bed was accompanied by these words: “I really need your prayers now more than ever. It’s been one year and I am still in the same spot. The Pains, the trauma, etc... It's not easy. I pray for strength to fight till the end.” A flurry of comments wished her a revival.
Thy Will Be Done
But destiny had other preferences. “Lord, let Thy Holy Will be done,” she concluded. Twenty days after her post, she breathed her last. And her demise marked the end of an era, carved by a significant media personality, who was transforming many, even beyond her country of birth.Born on 24 November 1975 in Mekaf Village, Fungom Subdivision and Menchum Division of the North West Region of Cameroon, Henriette was the first child in a family of six ( three boys and three girls). Henriette spent her childhood in Mile Four Limbe, completing her First School Education in 1988.
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| Henriette Thatcher: The Beautiful Soul is Gone |
Further, she wrote and passed the entrance examination into the University Institute of Technology Douala, and was admitted meritoriously into year one of Bilingual Secretarial Administration. In 1998 she obtained an HND in Bilingual Secretarial Administration and went job hunting.
Empowering Humanity
After a series of part-time jobs, she secured a permanent job with one of Africa's telecommunications giants based in Cameroon in 2000. In 2008, Henriette enrolled for a Master’s Programme with the University of Douala, graduating in 2011. A year later, she resigned to join UNICEF Cameroon, launching her charity journey.Henriette was the National President of the Mekaf Women Cultural and Development Association, empowering the girl child in the Mekaf Community. She provided shelter for street children and integrated them socially, by giving them opportunities to learn a trade and make life useful.
In her life, she featured on a variety of television series as a lead actress and features under the stage name Thatcher. Besides philanthropy, she adored singing, writing, reading, and was passionate about the happiness of others. During her existence, she transformed many lives.
“Henriette Thatcher was by far one of the community experts and social workers that her community had been blessed to have. Not only did she save numerous marriages and restore peace in many homes, but she was also a great wind of change through her social media platform Henriette Thatcher's Lounge,” wrote Oudney Patsika, Zimbabwean brand architecture and Henrietta’s mentor.
“Since the outbreak of the Anglophone Crises in Southern Cameroon, Henriette took it upon herself and made herself a trusted verse by people in Cameroon and abroad to donate and accommodate internally displaced people from the areas hit by the crises. These are some of the few things she did, worthy enough to be called a community laden carrier, as she did it so effortlessly.”
Brother From Another Country
I first met Henrietta via Facebook in 2015, and she had just been released from prison. And she was emotionally drained, having lost everything.“To you my half-brother from Zimbabwe, Oudney Patsika, whom God used to discover the hidden gem of writing diamond in me. I met you online in 2015, after my second return from prison,” Henriette wrote in her book: A Beautiful Soul In Hell. “I had lost everything and everyone I called a friend. I was rejected by all. Avoided by all, mocked by all, and was even ashamed to post anything with my name on social media.”
Our friendship, initiated through Facebook blossomed, according to Henrietta. “After the court session, you told me that I was going to be a great media personality. You asked me to read about Arianna Huffington of Huffington Post and told me in prophecy that I will one day be celebrated in the media world like her if I remained positive and focused.”
“You (Oudney) asked that I write five stories about any self-chosen topic. I did the assignment, and you qualified me into a Blogger, offered me the Henriette Thatcher’s Lounge, did everything to bring it online, and offered it to me as a source of income.” The new journey in blogging was launched.
Blogging For Life
On 24 November 2015, we launched her website, followed by a Facebook page: Henriette Thatcher’s Lounge. I had suggested that she uses the name Thatcher, inspired by former UK Prime Minister, Margret Thatcher. “Your patience moulded me into a great Blogger. Your tolerance and endurance with my inquisitive person. I cannot help but shout out a BIG THANK YOU to you for our selfless sacrifice to see me succeed,” Henriette attested.Tracing her initial steps into blogging, Henriette admitted it was a rough road. “You (Oudney) made me blog with passion even when the money was not forthcoming. You said the only thing I owed you was HARD-WORK and SUCCESS. Many are times, I woke you up from sleep, and pull your wife off from your arms, just to bring you to your laptop when I was tied up somewhere.
“You have never complained, but gave me a reason to believe that I was working with the right friend and brother. Oudney Patsika, you stood by me during every struggle and all my successes. That is true friendship. I am eternally grateful to you my brother.
Until death, she remained loyal and disciplined to the art of blogging. “You (Oudney) taught me discipline online, tough love, manners, respect, and so much more that has helped me succeed in my media journey. I truly have no idea where I would be if you hadn’t given me this blogging and writing idea.”
Final Chapter
On Saturday 27 February 2021, she was pronounced dead. “She was renowned for her work in the domain of social affairs and advocacy, Henriette Thatcher, as she was commonly called, succumbed to the cold hands of death today after battling with a protracted illness,” Oudney testified.She left two children, a girl aged 13 and a 4-year-old boy. But her legacy and inspiring words inspire us.
“This book is dedicated to everyone who is going through hard times, and who does not believe light can appear in the darkness of your sorrows. There is hope for every suffering man and woman,” wrote Henriette in her autobiography A Beautiful Soul In Hell: The Story of My Life.
True to her nature, she fought until the end. And I am grateful to have known Henrietta. “Don’t fall with your stomach, for you might look on the ground and get lost. Fall with your back on the ground, so that you can look up in the sky, where the light will come and rescue you. Have faith and courage in your trials and tribulations, and ready to take the right steps to bounce you back to your feet.”
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