Two months after the mother of a paralysed teen took to social media seeking public assistance so that she can take care of her son, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has assisted her.
Officers visiting Mathew Zaman and his mother Bibi Khan
On Thursday Inspector Roop and the traffic ranks of Sparendaam Traffic Department on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) handed over a hamper to the stay-at-home mother of the accident victim, Matthew Zaman, that will help the woman provide for the teen.
Zaman, now 13 years old, was left paralysed following a motor vehicle accident outside their home at Felicity Railway Embankment, ECD, in 2018. At the time, he was eight years old.
Following the accident, he was admitted as a patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital for over a month.
However, Matthew surprised everyone and continued to fight for his life, and was later discharged from the medical institution. He sustained a fractured skull, which resulted in swelling in the brain; damage to his lungs, and injury to his spine, which hinders his mobility.
Since the accident, his mother, Bibi Shanaz Khan, left her job as a domestic worker to care for her son and has since been a stay-at-home mother, while fending for herself and her son.
Zaman is still unable to speak or move his hands and legs, and he cannot breathe without the help of a nasal cannula (a device used to deliver supplemental oxygen or increased airflow to a patient in need of respiratory help).
The woman had told Guyana Times two years ago that after providing for her son became hard for her to keep with financially, she went to the Human Services and Social Security Ministry and was denied public assistance.
Khan said that in April 2018, while she was battling to find resources to keep her son alive, she went to the Ministry with all of the required documents to seek help. She said while she was there, she encountered a rude employee who belittled her and refused to help her.
Khan said that since that incident she never went back to the Ministry, and she has been battling on her own with the help of a few persons.
After the accident, the driver who struck down the child was charged with dangerous driving. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, but appealed the case and was freed.
However, last month, the driver that struck Zaman down, Andrew Albert of Lamaha Park, Georgetown, was involved in a horrific smash-up at Good Hope, ECD, and died. (G9)
