12-Y-O Mahdia deadly fire survivor discharged from US hospital

The 12-year-old student who sustained critical injuries following the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire in May, was discharged on Monday, following three months of surgeries, skin grafts, physical rehabilitation and grief counselling.
Mariza Williams was initially seeking treatment at the Georgetown Public Health Corporation (GPHC) before being medically evacuated (medevacked) to the Regional Burn Centre at Northwell Health, Staten Island University Hospital in the United States (US) for advanced care.

Though her face was spared, she suffered second and third-degree burns to her back, legs and arms, accounting for more than 40 per cent of her body. She took 92 days to get to this point in her recovery.
“The discharge of this little girl is a joyous chapter in this otherwise horrific story,” Vice President of the Centre for Global Health at Northwell Health, Dr Eric Cioe Peña stated.
“The Mahdia fire was a national tragedy in Guyana that captivated the world and was heartfelt in Little Guyana in Queens. Getting her home will help accelerate the healing process for Mahdia and Guyana,” Peña said.
During her discharge, the child was accompanied by her parents, Marlene and Max Williams.
Also present were GPHC Head of Surgery, Dr Shilindra Rajkumar; Guyanese Ambassador to the US, Samuel Hinds, and Director of the Regional Burn Centre at Staten Island University Hospital, Dr Michael Cooper.
While at GPHC, Williams underwent two surgeries, and her condition, though critical, improved steadily. Recognising her need for further care, however, plans to medevack her ensued.
On May 27, she was picked up by the Global Rescue Ambulance via the Air Ambulance at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and taken to the Northwell facility – which waived all costs for medical care.
Last month, it was revealed that she underwent several surgeries at Northwell and though extubated, was recovering well and was engaging in physiotherapy–a treatment that is done to restore a patient’s mobility, function and well-being.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony visited the child at Northwell Health, where he noted her significant progress and expressed his appreciation towards the hospital’s staff for their expertise in ensuring Williams was getting the best outcome.
At that point, Williams had begun to walk about 10 to 15 feet, though the doctors shared their hope to get her to around 40 before her discharge.
Williams was the only victim of the tragic fire to be flown overseas to seek treatment.
The May 21 fire that engulfed the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) claimed the lives of 19 of her friends and the five-year-old son of the dorm’s caretakers.
A fifteen-year-old student was later charged with 20 counts of murder for her alleged involvement in the fire.
Initial reports indicated that this student had her cell phone confiscated, and was previously suspended for engaging in activities contrary to the rules of the institution, after which she allegedly threatened to cause “trouble” during an argument with the administrators.
The members of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) were recently sworn in to conduct an investigation into the fatal fire.