A father of two whose leg was crushed when the mining pit he was working in caved in, is distressed that he is still unable to walk and that his family would spend a “dull Christmas” this year.
Calvin ‘Godfrey’ Caniaus, 44, of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo, told Stabroek News (SN) that he had a lot of dreams for his family but is losing hope because his life seems to be spiraling downward.
He said every year he would spend a joyous Christmas with his family, which included having fun shopping and doing decorating, cooking and baking for the festive season.
Caniaus always looked forward to coming out of the interior and spending the holidays with his family.
But this year, Christmas Day would be like any ordinary day as they cannot afford to celebrate.
Caniaus who is always accustomed to working hard, wished that the horrible accident never happened and that his family did not have to suffer as a result.
The mishap, which occurred on Saturday April 20, has caused him a lot of misery.
He recalled that at around 10:30 am he was working in the pit at Semang, Region Eight when it started to cave in. He tried to run but one section of the wall pinned him. His left leg was badly crushed. He remembered being in excruciating pain and was unable to move and after he lost consciousness.
The next thing he knew, he was in a boat traveling to the Issano Health Post. After the medex treated him he became unconscious again. The flesh on his leg was exposed and had to be removed because it had become infected.
The following day he was medivaced to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The doctors there stitched the leg until it was time to perform surgery to piece the (crushed) bones together.
He spent almost four months at the GPHC. By then the family had started to experience financial constraints and they asked for him to be transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. After spending three weeks at that facility, he was sent home and a nurse started visiting to change the dressing on his leg.”
Even though the wounds have dried, his leg is far from being healed. And he was told that it was would take almost two years before he can be back on his feet again.
He moves around when necessary, using a pair of crutches, and would lie on a mattress in the living room all day.
He has become depressed because of his inability to provide for his family.
The accident has left them broke.
The church that the family attends, is assisting to send his son, Kevin, 15, to school while another kindhearted family is providing money so eight-year-old Christel can continue going to school. Kevin is pursuing a carpentry course at the Government Technical Institute at Leonora.
His wife, Radhika Boodram, lamented that they have exhausted all of their savings and she had to start selling her jewellery, including their wedding rings, to get money to offset other expenses.
Most of her time is spent taking care of her husband and engaging in household chores. But recently she was forced to seek a one-day domestic job just to “survive.” She earns $3000 and it is far from enough.
With Caniaus having to visit the doctor three times per month, bills to pay, meals to prepare, as well as other expenses, they are struggling to make ends meet. For each trip to the doctor, they have to hire a taxi for $5000.
Boodhoo said every day is a struggle and sometimes she would have to swallow her pride and go “begging” people for help.
Diligence
Caniaus said he worked one and a half years for the man and that through his diligence, would mine a large amount of gold for him.
He said that as a result he received a “good salary. And to just lie down here all day and don’t earn anything is very hard…”
After the accident the employer visited him and promised that he would give him $40,000 per month as compensation.
Unfortunately though, he only kept his promise for the first three months. The family was grateful for the money and made it go a far way to make ends meet. They were very disappointed when they stopped receiving it.
Desperate for help and with no one to turn to, they visited the Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe.
The minister called a lawyer to listen to the matter. She also promised to get some financial help for Caniaus and his family. This newspaper learnt afterwards that the minister gave the family a food hamper and they were very thankful.
They had also gone to meet Keith Scott, minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, with responsibility for labour and he assigned someone to look into the matter. That person shifted the responsibility to someone else.
They felt that the man was not making an effort but learnt recently that the employer had been questioned.
Caniaus said he was striving hard to make his family comfortable. They moved into a house he got built even though it was not quite ready.
The veranda and parts of a wall inside the house, as well as the kitchen cabinets are still incomplete.
His plans were to finish the construction in time for Christmas. But he looked around sadly and said he is not sure when it is ever going to happen.
Pastor of their church, Marsha Padmore told Stabroek News that they need a lot more assistance than the church is offering.
And with everything going downward, Padmore ensures she visits them often to lift their spirits.
Apart from praying with them, she would offer a lot of support.
Caniaus’ only wish is that one day he would wake up from the nightmare and his life would be normal again.
