One day after President David Granger and First Lady Sandra Granger returned to Guyana, the Head of State on Wednesday expressed gratitude to all his well-wishers and those who have lent support while he was away in Cuba, where he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and was receiving treatment.
It was a somber atmosphere at State House when Cabinet Ministers visited President Granger.
During the welcome home and prayer ceremony on Wednesday morning, the President expressed profound gratitude to his Cabinet members, staff and the rest of the nation for their support, prayers and well wishes for his complete recovery.
“Thank you for your expressions of concern over the last three weeks…Throughout that time, I received greetings from you all and from other well-wishers
President David Granger at State House the morning after returning home
and, more than the greetings, prayers and I am truly grateful,” the Head of State said.
Accompanied by his wife, the Head of State travelled to the Republic of Cuba on October 30, to undergo a medical investigation. However, while there the President was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma after an intensive series of tests by specialist doctors at the Centro de Investigaciones Medico Quirugicas (CIMEQ) in Havana.
The President’s medical team performed a number of medical interventions, including the first round of chemotherapy treatment last week.
According to the Ministry of the Presidency, the Guyanese leader has responded well to the treatment and was given approval to return to Guyana. As such, President Granger and his wife returned home late Tuesday night, minutes before midnight.
In a statement from Guyana’s Embassy in Cuba earlier this week, it was noted that the Head of State would continue his daily routine of work, treatment, and rest under the supervision of his medical team while back home.
The Embassy also noted that the President may be required to return to Havana at a time prescribed by his medical team in order to evaluate the progress of his recovery and to extend his schedule of treatment. Guyana Times understands that the President may be travelling back and forth between Guyana and Cuba until May next year.
Since the announcement of his diagnosis, well-wishes for the President’s full and complete recovery have been pouring in. President Granger, in a statement on Monday, assured all citizens that he was receiving the best possible medical advice and attention.
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in your body’s lymph system. Lymphoma occurs when the lymph node cells or the lymphocytes begin to multiply uncontrollably, producing cancerous cells that have the abnormal capacity to invade other tissue throughout the body.
The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is further classified into a variety of subtypes based on the cell of origin (B-cell or T-cell), and the cell characteristics. The subtype of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma predicts the necessity of early treatment, the response to treatment, the type of treatment required, and the prognosis. The risk of developing Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma increases with age.
In May of this year, the Guyanese leader and his wife had travelled to Trinidad and Tobago to undergo what was referred to as their annual medical check-up. At the time, and in response to reports in the press, the Government had revealed that the couple did their examinations under a Caribbean medical insurance scheme at the Good Health Medical Centre. Those results, Government had said, indicated a clean bill of health.
