Sheinelle Jones’ Late Husband Uche Relearned to Say ‘I Love You’ in Hospice. And She Has the Video
After losing her husband of 17 years, Sheinelle Jones described his passing as a “beautiful nightmare.” And now she’s taking a moment to reflect on the supportive hospice and medical staff who went above and beyond to support her family during those final moments.
Uche Ojeh died at age 45 in May 2025 after a battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer, leaving behind Sheinelle and their three kids.
But things happened “so fast in the end,” Sheinelle says, that she hasn’t had time to thank the staff who were there for her family.
“When you have a cancer diagnosis, there are health care workers, there are doctors, there are nurses. I mean people come and go,” the TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle co-host reflected in a Feb. 4 segment.
“And when I think about that, there are a few … who kind of became our team,” she said. “I don’t know how it happened, but by the time we got to the end, we almost had this quiet little tribe of folks who we felt like were rooting for us and kind of fell in love with our family.”
Sheinelle’s late husband Uche’s favorite caregivers from when he was in hospice reunited with her live on TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle.
There was Jazzie Stickle, a home health aide who would dress Uche up in his favorite jersey and set up the TV so he could watch games with his kids. “And Uche adored her,” Sheinelle said. “She just had such a beautiful temperament with him.”
Denise James Wright took on almost an elder or aunt role for Uche, Sheinelle said. The two would watch kickboxing or soccer and listen to Afrobeats, Uche’s favorite type of music.
“I understood him. He understood me,” Denise reflected.
“She was his ride or die,” Sheinelle added. “She was with him all the way until the end, literally.”
There were overnight caregivers Chanel Duff and Nykyra Owens, who told Sheinelle to relax and let them handle things so she could be more present. Chanel told her, “You know what, sweetie, you be the wife and we can do everything else. You just be his wife,” Sheinelle recalled.
And, through tears, Sheinelle shared a particularly meaningful moment with Jessica Goldstein, a speech pathologist who helped Uche with a special phrase.
“The last text message I have from her was a video (of Jessica and Uche) and she was like, We’ve been working on this,” Sheinelle recalls. “And it was, ‘I love you, Sheinelle.’ And she cheers in the background.”
Moments like these — made possible by a group of women Sheinelle calls “angels on earth” — left a lasting impression during a time of devastating, heartbreaking loss.
“It’s a bond that I would never wish on anyone, but it’s just so special. It transcends all of us,” Sheinelle explained. “Honestly, the only reason I even have the strength to talk about it is because I believe that they are heroes.”
Together, the group reflected on what a special person Uche was, and how he touched all of their lives.
“As as health care workers, we put up these walls to protect ourselves because we see really hard things, and we have to go home, try live our lives and take care of ourselves,” Jessica said during the reunion. “But let me tell you, Uche broke down those walls within the first minute of meeting. He was kind and generous, and it was palpable.”
