| Girl,
11, needs assistance for
urgent colon surgery |
| Written
by Shirley Thomas |
| Saturday,
22 May 2010 |
AN
eleven-year-old girl, who
dreams of one day becoming
a doctor treating sick
people, is stricken with a
rare abdominal malady and
in urgent need of surgery.
As
a result, the parents of
Annastacia Higgins, who
has been diagnosed with
Hirschsprung’s disease
and suffers from fecal
incontinence, are making a
public appeal for
financial assistance to
help her get corrective
bowel surgery abroad.
The child, who lives at
Lot 67 Second Street,
Prospect, East Bank
Demerara, was brought to
the Guyana Chronicle
offices yesterday, by her
mother, Amelia Seemangal,
who said arrangements are
being made for her
daughter to have the
operation done at the
Cincinnati Children’s
Hospital in the United
States.
Annastacia Higgins
But
the cost of it will be in
the vicinity of US$70,000,
with other related
expenses, such as air
fares, added to make
approximately US$75,000.
Annastacia is a victim of
chronic constipation and,
as a result of a dead
nerve in her anal area,
she does not always know
when she is ready to
defecate.
For the time being, she is
on special medication and
high fibre diet to give
her some temporary relief.
Though very expensive,
they are both necessary to
keep her alive.
However, unless she is
operated upon soon enough,
her colon can puncture and
kill her from poisoning.
Her health problems began
in 2005, and, that year,
she had a modified
Duhamel’s operation.
Then, in 2006, she
developed added
complications and had
since undergone three
other surgeries at
Georgetown Public Hospital
(GPH).
It was after her fourth
surgery, locally, that it
was determined that she
would require further
specialist surgical
intervention which cannot
be done in this country.
Meanwhile, her deeply
distraught mother has had
to place her in a special
private school with a
patient friendly
environment, where she
gets empathy and personal
care, but is still eager
for her to go abroad as
she feels confident that
treatment there would end
the child’s
embarrassment and woes.
Recommending the
Cincinnati Hospital, Dr.
Nelson Rosen, Director,
Colorectal Centre, assured
that her care there will
be exceptional under the
doctors to whom the girl
is being referred.
Unfortunately, though,
because of financial
constraints, more than one
year has passed and her
parents have not been able
to get even close to
garnering the necessary
funds.
As a medical patient
registered at the Ministry
of Health, the girl is
guaranteed US$5,000
from that source and is
grateful for pledges made
by kind hearted citizens
on a recent Channel 67
telethon.
Persons desirous of making
contributions to the cause
are asked to make deposits
in Guyana Bank for Trade
and Industry (GBTI)
Account number S1 AI
044142 or contact her
mother on telephone number
627-6859.
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