Months after losing her mum, Grace Ifeoma Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie revealed that she lost her on what should have been her late father’s birthday, May 1st.

“How Does A Heart Break Twice?” she captioned her Instagram message, which featured two photos of her and her mother, as well as a touching letter. In the letter, she described her as a “warm, loving, funny, kind, and quick-witted, beautiful mother. Unconditional supporter and cheerleader of her children, fun and funny, source of delicious sarcasm, style icon, so sharply observant she never missed a thing.”

Narrating the events that led up to the sad passing of her mu, she narrated:

On Saturday her driver drove her to Mass. Sunday evening she was unwell. She was taken to a private hospital in Awka. We were worried, but a few hours later, she was better, sitting up, eating rice. On the phone I told her. “We love you, Mummy, try and rest.”

The next morning, the doctor sent an update to say she was doing even better. But moments later, he took the sudden bewildering decision to transfer her to the Teaching Hospital, she was hastily moved. He claimed the Teaching Hospital had better facilities. “Do my children know I’m being transferred?” she said to have asked. Two hours after, she arrived at the Teaching Hospital, she died. It was March 1st, my father’s birthday.

Read the letter below: