Ailing 9-year-old girl given huge assistance in quest for normal life

Sep 10, 2008 News

9-year-old Annastacia Higgins

In an effort to give nine-year-old Annastacia Higgins a chance to live and have a normal childhood, a number of organizations have donated sums of money to her mother so that the child can undergo a number of tests in Cincinnati, USA.

According to her mother, Amelia Seemangal, at the age of five, Annastacia started to develop severe constipation and wasn’t to defecate properly.

She explained that in 2005 she took her daughter to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she underwent four major surgeries between the months of May and November.

Seemangal noted that after all four of the procedures were completed, it was then that the doctor discovered that there was a dead nerve in Annastacia’s anus, and as such, this was determined as the most likely reason the child could not recognise when she wanted to use the toilet. Since then, the child has been using pampers.

However, her mother decided that the time has come for something to be done about the problem, as according to her, Annastacia is maturing very quickly and she cannot be in the uncomfortable state she is in forever.

As such, Seemangal visited a number of organizations and businesses and informed them of her plight. Her pleas did not go on deaf ears, as businesses such as John Fernandes Limited and Gafoors assisted her, along with the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, the Ministry of Health, the Lions Club and the Guyana Watch Corporation, which gave her US$1000, so that the tests could be conducted.

The cost for the tests and airfare all amounted to US$6000 and according to Seemangal, with the help of these businesses and organizations, among others, she has been able to acquire all of the money.

However, she explained that when all the tests are completed, it is more than likely that a surgery will have to be performed on her daughter.

This surgery she said would cost a total of US$75,000 and would entail a nerve implant into the child’s anus so that her feelings can be restored.

The woman explained that her daughter had been performing relatively well in school, but since the situation has worsened over the years, she has not been performing as well as she probably could.

With the tests to be conducted and the possibility of the surgery, the nine-year-old will be a little closer to experiencing a sense of comfort. She and her mother are scheduled to leave Guyana for the United States tomorrow.