Hole-in-the-heart baby’s condition deteriorates

Sep 22, 2010 News

The ailing Kenneth Prince

– mother lobbies for urgent financial support

According to Nicole Jackson, the woman whose eight-month-old baby requires urgent surgery, no support has been forthcoming from the Ministry of Health which had initially promised a sum of US$3,000. Meanwhile the child’s condition is deteriorating.
According to Jackson, yesterday when she returned to the hospital with the child for his regular injection, she told the nurse that she wanted to see the doctor since she was not noticing any improvements from the injection that he has been receiving daily. “He is just getting more sick.” According to the woman the nurse’s response to her was, “Me and all sick”.
Less than a week ago, Kaieteur News highlighted the plight of eight-month-old Kenneth Prince of 74 Supply, Mahaica, East Coast of Demerara, who is currently suffering from an advanced heart condition. The infant was diagnosed with Congenital Cyanotic heart disease, some four months ago.
Doctors describe the condition as life-threatening.
Jackson is appealing for public assistance as the child’s condition has deteriorated considerably since she last spoke with this newspaper. According to the woman, she is in dire need of financial support to aid in the payment of the surgery which is scheduled to be conducted in India this month end.
The distraught woman revealed that although she has been acknowledged by two other prospective donors, they too have not delivered. The estimated cost of the surgery is some US$12,500.
It was just recently that the ailing child was discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and according to Jackson, he was placed on a daily injection plan. However, the woman disclosed that her son started coughing “non-stop.”
As a result, she was forced to take him back to the Public Hospital where he was observed and given “something to throw in his nose and Panadol syrup.”
However, Jackson, in a depressed tone, told this newspaper that the coughing spells persisted.
Medical officials have since informed Jackson that the child is now at a stage where the possibility of him having prolonged life depends entirely on the urgent heart surgery.
An echocardiography done by a Cardiologist at the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI) suggested Tetralogy of Fallot and an urgent surgical intervention is recommended.
Persons interested in making a contribution of any amount can contact Nicole Jackson on telephone numbers 622-7518 or 228-5733 or make a direct contribution to Republic Bank account # 2179307.