(Trinidad Express) Reanna Ashley Gobadan, the 27-year-old woman who suffered extensive injuries when she was struck by a vehicle last month, has opened her eyes.
But medical experts are uncertain whether Gobadan will regain mobility and lead a normal life.
Her family is now preparing long-term care for Gobadan, and is seeking the public’s assistance.
A GoFundMe page has been created for Gobadan to raise funds for medical expenses.
Gobadan, a self-employed graphic designer, was attempting to cross the road near her home at Grand Lagoon in Mayaro, when the incident occurred on August 9.
Her mother, Jameena Chaitan, was with her at the time of the accident.
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Chaitan recalled the accident which changed her daughter’s life forever.
“It is difficult to speak about this. I dream about it all the time. My daughter and I walked to the shop near our home and we were walking back. We stood at the side of the road and watched both sides carefully.
“We started to cross and this van came speeding down. My daughter was struck and thrown a distance away,” she said.
Chaitan, 61, was not injured physically, but the memory of watching her daughter being flung away will never be erased, she said.
CCTV footage of the incident showed the mother and daughter standing on the roadside for several minutes while vehicles passed by.
The women then began walking across the road but, as they approached the middle of the road, the women stopped and Gobadan ran a few steps in front of her mother.
She was struck by a panel van. The driver stopped a short distance away.
Police said the vehicle was impounded and the driver interviewed.
The injured woman was taken to the Sangre Grande Hospital, where she remains in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit.
A difficult journey
Chaitan said, “She has multiple broken bones—her shoulder, ribs, pelvic bone, fractured spine and head injuries.”
She said her daughter opened her eyes on Tuesday, but she is uncertain whether she can communicate.
“I said ‘blink if you know mummy’. She is blinking, but I’m not sure. We will have to wait and see,” she said.
Chaitan said not much more can be done medically for her daughter, and doctors may soon consider sending her home to recover.
“But it will be difficult. We will need to fix the house for her and buy medicine and other things. It is going to be a long, difficult journey. But she is my child and I will do it. I have three sons and she is my only daughter,” she said.
Gobadan is not married and has no children.
She was a self-employed graphic designer and studied four languages, her mother said.
“She is very ambitious. She would make things and sell, and find innovative ways to earn a living,” she said.
The GoFundMe page was launched by Gobadan’s cousin, who wrote, “It is with great regret that we are activating the GoFundMe page for my cousin Reanna.
“Our family are presently distraught at this unexpected life-changing tragedy, which has been posted all over Facebook… Now she is fighting for her life, intubated to help her breathe and keep her heart pumping.”
He said, “Due to everything and the recent pandemic, things financially have become unstable, we are therefore asking for your help for her medical needs.”