10-year-old needs $6M for life-saving surgery in India
A mother of three is pleading with corporate and private Guyana to assist her in saving her 10-year-old daughter’s life by donating whatever financial resources they can, so she can travel to India for a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.
Shakira Peters of Linden, Region Ten, was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia when she was two years old, and is always in and out of hospital. However, at the age of six, she suffered two major strokes, and has been wheelchair-bound ever
Ten-year-old Shakira Peters
since. She now needs a bone marrow transplant to live.
According to her mother, Nicola Peters, Shakira’s eldest sister has been identified as the donor, and the trio would require approximately $10 million to travel to India to have the surgery conducted at the Artemis Health Institute. They are expected to stay there for between 6 and 8 weeks.
Nicola told Guyana Times that she began raising money since June of 2016, and has thus far been able to raise $4 million, inclusive of $1 million donated by the Public Health Ministry. The distressed woman said that after the surgery her daughter would be able to walk again, and be able to lead a normal life.
She noted that her eldest daughter, who is the donor, is 13 years old and is a student of the Linden Special School, since she has poor muscle strength. Nicola said she is unable to work, since daycare centres refuse to take in Shakira because of her fragility.
Thus far, Travel Span has donated three airline tickets for the trio to fly to New York, but they would be required to pay US$3100 each for a ticket to India.
Persons willing to make a donation can do so by making a deposit into Republic Bank account #7660129, or contact Nicola on telephone 684-7683.
