Latest update February 10th, 2025 2:25 PM
Siblings losing sight appeal for help
From birth Leon Bagot was born with an eye condition, cataract, which causes clouding of the lens in the eye leading to a decrease in vision, according to his mother. Now, he is 11-year-old and can barely see, still his ambition is to become a presidential guard.
Pandit Suresh Sugrim with Leon Bagot (r) and sister, Devon.
The teen who attends Corentyne Comprehensive High is said to be performing well despite his impairment, with help from his teachers and classmates.
Leon resides at Courtland Road, Corentyne, Berbice, with his mother and five siblings.
The family’s financial constraint has prevented Leon from seeking overseas medical attention with hopes of protecting the sight he has left, which will allow him to realize his potential and live his dream of protecting one of Guyana’s future presidents.
“I want to protect the president,” Leon said, when he was asked why he chose such a profession at a young age.
Leon’s family circumstances sadden by the fact that he lost his father to cancer about a month ago. It doesn’t stop there. Leon has a 16-year-old sister, Devon Bagot, a student of Manchester Secondary School, who is also losing the sight in one of her eyes, due to cataract as well.
Despite this, her ambition is to become a lawyer, however, she says her dream faded after her father’s death and the family’s growing financial troubles.
“I can’t because I would have to go back to school and how my father is now dead I’m not going to get the money.” When asked if she would pursue law once she is provided with financial assistance, she smiled and replied in the affirmative.
Devon and one of her brothers will sit the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) in 2017 and this was made possible through help from donors of the Humanitarian Mission of New Jersey (HMNJ) which is being operated by Pandit Suresh Sugrim from its Babu John, Port Mourant-based office.
Initially, the children’s mother, 41-year-old Cheryl Bagot, borrowed the money to pay for exams fees for her two children, but was given a refund by Sugrim, which she repaid, securing the siblings’ CSEC spots.
She became emotional as she related the possibility of her two kids going blind if they don’t receive the help needed.
She was advised to purchase a specific type of lens for Leon, however, she cannot afford it, but is working to obtain the cash to do so.
Suresh Sugrim who has been assisting the family is hopeful that he will receive help to take the siblings overseas for better treatment and care. Persons desirous of helping the family can contact them on telephone number 322-0732 or Sugrim on 649-3319.
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