Family of amputees appeals for help to rectify fallen house

May 18, 2010 News

Last Mother’s Day was probably one of the worst days in the lives of 76-year-old Doris Thomas and her children of Victoria, East Coast Demerara.
On that day, their wooden house which rested on stilts came crashing down, and although to the naked eye it appears habitable, no one will want to endure the suffering they have had to endure as a result of the mishap.

One of the occupants of the fallen house Nicola McDonald.

Thomas, the matriarch of the family, has been bedridden for the past two years, while her daughter Nichola McDonald, a diabetic, has been a double amputee since 2001. Another daughter lost one of her legs as a result of the same complaint.
Apart from the disabled Thomas and her amputee daughters, the house shelters five others, mostly children.
On Mother’s Day, the family was asleep when the house crashed to the ground. Thankfully no one was hurt although there was significant damage to most of their household equipment.
Since then, the family has been seeking refuge in a relative’s house by day only to have to return to their treacherous house at nights.
Their worst fear is that the structure, which is resting precariously on the ground, would disintegrate and seriously injure someone especially the incapacitated occupants.
“But what we gon do? We don’t have anywhere else.
All the flooring break up,” McDonald told this newspaper.
She added that even the foodstuff they had in the house had to be discarded since it was littered with broken glass.
Unable to work, the occupants have been left in a desperate situation.
Although the family has not yet approached any agency to seek assistance, the members are appealing through this newspaper for donations to at least purchase some materials to rectify their dwelling.
A group of villagers has already pledged to provide the labour should the materials be made available.
“The roof is not proper. When it rains, we have to get tubs and basins to catch the water,” said McDonald who moves around in a wheelchair.