A once ardent Linden farmer is now unable to perform the job he loves after he was diagnosed with a tumour in his brain and he is appealing to the public for financial assistance in order to obtain medical treatment overseas.
The surgery he requires cannot be done locally and so Michael Gibbons, 35, has to come up with US$7,000 to have it done at the Brooklyn Hospital Centre in the United States. This sum represents surgeon fees and does not include costs for hospitalization, anaesthesia and medication.
Gibbons who struggles to walk upright showed Stabroek News medical documents which confirmed that he was diagnosed with a likely meningioma. Results of a CT scan revealed a mass in his left front oparietal region. He said for years he has suffered severe weakness and involuntary movements of his right limbs and also contends with severe migraine headaches.
He explained that some days he feels normal but for most of the time his entire right side is paralysed. He said he feels a strong pulling of the right side limbs and migraines which last for days.
He was seen by consultant surgeon and Director of Medical Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr. Madan Rambarran who in a letter stated that he needed to be evaluated by a neurosurgeon to have the necessary investigation done. He said that the service was not available at the GPHC.
Gibbons was also seen by Chief Medical Officer of Davis Memorial Hospital John Wilson. Wilson said a surgeon in Port of Spain, Dr. Spann was consulted on the particular case and he declared that he did not have the proper equipment to perform the operation. Dr Cohen at the Brooklyn Hospital has since indicated that he would perform the surgery.
Gibbons is the father of a two-year-old boy and hopes that one day he would be able to enjoy the childhood days of his son.
Donations could be made to his bank account at Republic Bank Limited 501–669-6. He can be contacted on telephone numbers 650– 5268 and 444-8503. His brother Phillip Gibbons could be contacted on 444-4041 or 625-9851.
