Dying client sent me into 5 month depression – Kasuku

Ugandan media personality and vlogger Daniel Katende shared a touching personal story, revealing how the death of a young terminally ill woman he had been counselling pushed him into a five-month depression

Katende, popularly known as Kasuku, said the emotional experience began in January 2023, shortly after he graduated from Makerere University with a Bachelor’s degree in community psychology.

He was contacted by a hospital seeking his services in therapy and counselling because of his public profile as a media personality.

“When I got there, they handed me a young woman with a terminal illness. She was already on palliative care,” he said.

According to Kasuku, the woman’s family had gradually stopped visiting her frequently because seeing her in pain was emotionally overwhelming. 

He explained that his role was simply to keep her company and make her happy during her final days.

When they first met, the woman immediately recognised him from Spark TV, where he had previously appeared.

The two soon developed a close bond. Kasuku said the patient often spoke about her dreams for the future

“I think at some point she fell in love with me because she would tell me her plan after recovery was to go with me to Zanzibar. She wanted her family to start a radio so they could hire me,” he recalled.

“She always asked me to hold her hand, hug her and sometimes she asked for a kiss. I had to do it all just to calm her down,” he said.

Speaking on the Mind Your Head podcast, Kasuku said he was devastated one morning, when he arrived at the hospital, to be told that the young woman had passed away.

He described the loss as deeply disturbing because of the emotional connection they had developed during their conversations.

“When you meet someone who is so vulnerable and when you walk into the room her eyes light up, she smiles even in pain and shares her dreams with you… then suddenly she is gone,” he said.

He explained that the grief began to affect him mentally, and that he started experiencing hallucinations at night where he felt as if he could still see her.

The emotional toll worsened weeks later with the killing of Ugandan blogger Isma Olaxess in May 2023, which Kasuku said further overwhelmed him.

“My head got crowded,” he recalled.

He said the combined shock eventually pushed him into depression. At one point, he experienced severe physical symptoms and began losing sleep.

“I locked myself in the house. I could not come out. I stopped eating and drinking,” he said.

Kasuku added that he remained isolated for nearly five months before slowly recovering and returning to public life.