Seven-year-old Christine Melville would like nothing more than to be outside flying her kite on Easter Monday. However she will spend a holiday she enjoys inside the Paediatric Ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital.
“I did want go and fly kite Monday but me mommy say she gun bring a balloon pun a string for me,” the sprightly girl said as she lay in bed munching a cheese roll.
An outgoing and bright little girl, Christine understands most of what is happening to her. She shared that she has to stay in the hospital for another two weeks. She added that she has made friends with some of the children in the ward.
While she enjoys being able to move about in her wheelchair, Christine says she really wanted to fly a kite. Easter is one of Christine’s favourite holidays. She says too that she misses school and that her teacher visited her in the hospital.
Meanwhile, Christine’s mother, Ileen, said that her daughter is scheduled for another surgery some time next week. The surgery involves grafting skin from one part of the primary school student’s body and placing it on her injured leg.
Christine also needs a pint of blood which Ileen says she will give. But the stress of having to spend most of her time at the hospital has taken its toll on the mother. Ileen pointed out that she had to be hospitalised for a little while last week.
Ileen is also faced with dwindling finances. “Meh nah work since Christine come in hey,” she stated. Monetary assistance from church members and some savings is what she has depend on for a while the mother said.
Ileen said she has to go in to work on Tuesday and ask that they save her job until her daughter is out of the hospital. “Only had a $1,000 and how it hut meh heart fuh break it. Meh really can’t tell ya how it hard,” she said.
Melville, a student of St Paul’s Primary was waiting at the pedestrian crossing on the Plaisance Public Road on March 7 when she was hit by a bus which was transporting schoolchildren.
While Ileen says the police’s advice is they cannot proceed with the matter until her child is out of the hospital, she is determined to seek justice for her daughter.
