Latest update March 24th, 2025 7:05 AM
Father of 4 seeks public assistance due to medical condition
Terry Joseph a father of four is seeking the public’s assistance as he tells his tale of struggling to support his family due to a medical condition. The 35-year-old man who resides with his family in Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD) became ill in November 2019 and later underwent thoracic surgery at Woodlands Hospital on January 28, 2020.
Terry Joseph after Surgery
Thoracic surgery refers to operations on organs in the chest, including the heart, lungs and esophagus these include coronary artery bypass surgery, heart transplant, lung transplant and removal of parts of the lung affected by cancer.
He explained to Kaieteur News that he had to have a reciprocal infusion on the right side of his body, since his lung was infected due to pulmonary edema, a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. This fluid accumulates in the numerous air sacs in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
Joseph said he spent approximately two months in the hospital after his surgery but then the wound become infected and began oozing. This he said lasted for approximately four months, resulting in “several hospital visits to Diamond, Georgetown and even Woodlands Hospitals.”
He then underwent a second surgery called a “window surgery” where the doctors “made a hole in the rib and open it and leave it to drain, one at the back and one at the side.”
“This one is more painful, plenty pain,” he said.
Coupled with this, Joseph said that the daily medication that he is using is damaging his stomach. This was shown in a recent X-ray.
Terry Joseph and Family
With him being the breadwinner for the family, the man explained that his family is finding it “real real rough, real tough.”
“Since November month this thing start, my kid didn’t get to go to school the whole of November and now I can’t do no work, I use to try to work, the doctors told me in three months I could work and I try to work and it form a septic and resulted in the second surgery so I cannot work.”
He added that “I have four daughters, three live with me, they are 13, 14, and 2 years old and I am renting a home. It’s real hard.”
Joseph said that before his surgery he worked as a fisherman, but on his last trip he was attacked by pirates. “So I didn’t come back with much. A few friends have been assisting me but I can’t depend on them all the time. Thank God for my mother, who is alive and assisting me – weekend time she give me a lil five thousand and so. I have bills to pay, rent, and need my medication, the hospital bills. My eyes are now bad I need glasses as well. It’s very frustrating on the family they don’t know what to do,” he added.
He further pointed out that “I’m not like this, I don’t like ask people for help so the lil money I receive I sent my wife to the fishery to purchase banga mary and other fish, which she and children clean and packaged to go around the village and sell to earn a lil income.”
He added that “Some people have helped we, they help with lil grocery and so but we can’t expect people to give we money so that is how we try to get lil money. I am very thankful for everything that people do for us and the lil help we get.”
Individuals who wish to assist the family can contact them on telephone numbers 691-8749 or 673-2035. Contact can also be made with Young Pioneers (YP) a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), which has been working along with the family via their Facebook page or on telephone number 669-2619.
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