“I just want to be able to help my children” – paralyzed father of 3

…seeks support for vital surgery after fall at construction site

Rahbindra Chandradat, a father of three and resident of Better Hope Centre Ground Road, East Coast Demerara, is facing a harrowing ordeal after a tragic accident last year left him paralyzed from the waist down.
In an interview with Guyana Times, the 34-year-old former construction worker explained that, on May 1, 2023, he fell approximately 20 feet from a building at a construction site in Turkeyen, ECD, and broke his back as a consequence.
Recalling the events of that fateful day, Chandradat explained that his employer had dispatched him to inspect the top of the building; and as he stepped on a beam, he was suddenly blinded by “something”, causing him to lose his footing and plummet to the ground below.

That fall resulted in him sustaining severe spinal cord damage, which necessitated urgent medical intervention, prompting his transfer to a private hospital, where he underwent critical surgery costing $1.2 million. Six screws were implanted in his back to address the extensive damage to his spinal cord; and he has since been confined to bed, unable to provide for his wife and three young children, aged five, eight and nine.
Prior to this accident, Chandradat was the primary breadwinner for his family. Now incapacitated, his wife is forced to undertake menial jobs to support the family, and is unable to pursue full-time employment due to the demands of caregiving. His physical condition has left him devoid of sensation from the waist down, necessitating his use of diapers.
“I just want to be able to help my children. I grew up very poor, and I don’t want my children to suffer and go through the same things I went through. I had to start working since I was 12 years old, and so I didn’t get to go far in school,” he said.
“My wife has to be home to take care of me…she lifts me, has to change my pampers three times per day…she holds me up, and my son has to hold my legs to move me around,” he disclosed.
“I am really punishing. My wife wants to get a job, but she can’t. She was even trying to get a cleaning work at the school,” he explained.
Despite the bleak prognosis, Chandradat remains hopeful of being able to fully recover from this condition. However, he requires further surgery, estimated at $450,000, to correct a hip fracture and restore mobility to his lower body. His current hip displacement inhibits movement, requiring surgical intervention to reposition the bone and insert a screw that would enable him to regain functionality in his legs.
“The doctor said if I don’t do the surgery, I will never be able to walk again…I asked the doctor if I could do it at a public hospital, and he told me that the public hospitals do not have the equipment to do the surgery,” Chandradat explained.
Chandradat is nevertheless determined to walk again, not only for his independence, but to alleviate the financial strain on his family. Struggling to afford transportation to his biweekly hospital appointments, Chandradat often misses crucial treatments due to financial constraints or the reluctance of taxi drivers to assist him.
“It’s a real struggle, because I does got to pay $5000 every time I go to the hospital; and sometimes I can’t go for treatment because I don’t have the money to go,” he said.
Expressing his deep-rooted desire to provide a better life for his children, Chandradat is imploring the public for assistance. He is in dire need of support to fund his vital surgery, and is urging those unwilling to aid him directly to consider contributing to his children’s welfare, thereby ensuring they have access to basic necessities and educational opportunities.
Persons willing to extend a helping hand to Chandradat and his family can contact him on telephone (592) 602-3674. Amidst adversity, Chandradat remains steadfast in his determination to overcome his physical limitations and rebuild a brighter future for himself and his loved ones. (G9)