Seven-year-old Shaniya Persaud, who was severely burnt about her body in a fire that gutted her Mon Repos North, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home last week, arrived safely in the United States and has since successfully completed the first of a series of surgeries.
Persaud departed Guyana for emergency medical treatment on Saturday. She arrived in the US early on Sunday morning.
Due to the severity of her burns, she was transported via an air ambulance at the cost of US$40,000, which is equivalent to more than $8 million in local currency.
The cost was covered equally by the Rotary Club of Demerara and the non-governmental organisation- Saving Hands Emer-gency Aid (SHEA).
SHEA, in a recent Face-book post, said Persaud spent the entirety of Sunday meeting with a medical team in order to formulate a treatment plan.
The first phase of treatment began on Monday, SHEA added.
She continued surgery yesterday.
Persaud was accepted to the Shriners Hospital in Galveston, Texas, where she is being treated free of cost.
The Mon Repos Primary School student sustained second and third degrees burns to 97% of her body in the fire, which started around 1 am last Monday at the single-flat house, situated at Lot 101 Mon Repos North.
The house was occupied by Samantha Gayadin and her three children-Persaud and her brothers Akeem Persaud, 9 and Brandon Anthony, 13.
At the time of the fire, the children were home alone as Gayadin was attending a wedding in the community.
Stabroek News was told that the children were with Gayadin earlier at the wedding. However, as night approached, Gayadin took them home and later returned to the wedding, leaving them alone.
Upon learning of the incident, their father, who works at sea in neighbouring Suriname, returned home after some four months away.
The origin of the fire remains unknown.
A decision was made to have Persaud taken overseas after local doctors declared that not much can be done for her here.
