By Chinedu Onyejelem

The mother of a Cameroonian teenager who drowned in the River Liffey last year has appealed to the public to come to her help.

Frank Mekang, 13, died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the Liffey near Chapelizod on 14 May 2016 following a soccer match with his club Usher Celtic.

“Life’s been so difficult with me and [my] family,” his mum Jacquline Bessong told Metro Éireann in an exclusive interview ahead of a memorial in honour of Frank on Friday 14 July in Islandbridge.

“We don’t have a place to live. Since my son died we have been homeless, living in emergency accommodation.” 

Jacquline and her three other children aged 22, 16 and 2 – two of which joined her in Ireland following the tragedy – are currently staying in a cramped apartment in Dublin 6.

She said her family’s living conditions have significantly increased her stress and that she is currently taking antidepressants.

But finding out how Frank came to be in the water in the first place would help, said Jacquiline.
 
“I need the public to intervene and get me a concrete answer,” she added

Metro Éireann understands that an inquest into Frank Mekang’s death will be held by the Dublin City Coroner in the near future.