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Ailing pregnant patient requires $1.5M for treatment in Venezuela
The family of ailing pregnant patient, Samantha Persaud, is finding difficulty in a quest to garner the remaining
Samantha Persaud
$1.5M required for her treatment in Venezuela. According to her father, Jaimangal Gansham, doctors are requesting the amount by December 15. He said that his daughter is expected to deliver her baby on January 7, 2015 at the Clinic of Santana, after which, she will proceed with an “endovascular surgery” at the Puerto Ordaz Hospital later in the month.
A medical report from the Puerto Ordaz hospital, signed by neurosurgeon Dr. Luigi D’Angelo, indicated that Persaud has a “subarachnoid hemorrhage from a ruptured arteriovenous malformation.”
The report recommended urgent “endovascular treatment”, after an “angiotomography was performed on her which showed evidence of pial arteriovenous malformation.”
Arteriovenous malformation is said to be “an abnormal connection between arteries and veins, bypassing the capillary system”. It can cause intense pain and bleeding or lead to other serious medical problems.
Persaud, of Shanty Town, Leonora, West Coast Demerara, will soon be in her eighth month of pregnancy. Her current condition resulted from a severe case of hypertension she suffered at home more than two months ago. She was immediately rushed to a local private hospital, where she was diagnosed with a serious abnormality in her brain.
According to Persaud’s mother, Nalini Gansham, the family exhausted all their funds – some two million dollars – towards her recovery there, but treatment was ineffective.
Gansham said that she was advised by doctors at the private facility to seek urgent overseas treatment for her daughter, as the hospital lacked the medical resources to treat her condition.
However, since her family lacked the finance to fund her daughter’s surgery overseas, Persaud was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on September 18.
Similar to the private hospital, a medical report from the GPHC, signed by General Medical Officer, Dr. Anna Singh, stated that “presently the hospital does not have the necessary resources to operate on this type of pathology, hence we advise the patient to seek overseas treatment.”
Since Persaud required urgent overseas treatment, her family explored options in the Caribbean and South America, and decided to do the surgery in Venezuela for US$20,000 (G$4M).
Over the months, scores of local and overseas-based Guyanese have provided financial assistance to the family, amounting to just over $2.5 M. The most recent donation was $1M, made possible by the initiative of a “Ms. Lorry Melaram”, who uploaded Persaud’s story to a “group page” she created on social media website, Facebook, called “Guyanese Around the World”.
Owing to Ms. Melaram’s help, a website was developed to garner worldwide contributions towards Persaud’s cause.
With the use of a credit card, persons can make their contributions on the website, www.gofundme.com/savesamantha.
Persons desirous of providing financial support otherwise, can do so by contacting the family on 268-3519 / 672-1464 or by making a deposit to account number 218422197 at Citizens Bank.
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