Family seeks assistance for 4-month-old diagnosed with heart condition

A Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) family is seeking the assistance of the public in raising funds for their four-month-old baby, who was diagnosed with a heart condition and has to undergo a surgery.

According to the baby’s mother, Keisha Couchman, her daughter, Kaavia Couchman, was diagnosed with complex congenital heart disease last month. What started out as a routine medical check-up led to the discovery of the disease which requires urgent surgery to save little Kaavia’s life.
“I take her on the 23rd January 2020 to Georgetown to see the paediatrician for a check-up. That is when the doctor realised that she has a tumour. She then referred me to CHI [Caribbean Heart Institute] to do an echocardiogram. When I meet at CHI with the referral, they told that they don’t have any paediatric cardiologist there and they referred me to St Joseph Mercy Hospital to see the cardiologist Dr Carpen [Dr Mahendra Carpen]. I was told to do the echocardiogram and a chest X-ray, the chest X-ray show her heart enlarged and the echocardiogram show the hole in her heart and the size of it, it’s 1.4cm. She need to do a surgery to correct it,” Keisha Couchman related.
Couchman emphasised that she was informed that there are no paediatric cardiologists in Guyana, therefore, her baby would have to travel overseas to either Cuba, India or America to conduct the lifesaving surgery. The cost for the surgery, she explained, ranges from US$20,000 to US$30,000 in Cuba.
The family has since been appealing for assistance. There is a Citizen’s Bank account with account number 219175381 set up for anyone interested in making a contribution towards assisting little Kaavia. In the meantime, Couchman related that the family has sent out donation sheets and letters to various companies and organisations seeking help.
The family has also been trying to raise funds through numerous ventures including food sales.
“It’s hard because when she cries I don’t know if she’s experiencing pain,” Couchman continued.