(Trinidad Express) Thirty-three-year-old Isabelle is struggling to cope with multiple life-threatening illnesses in the absence of her 60-year-old mother who is stranded in Guyana.
Diagnosed with lupus and kidney disease, she described this period as the “hardest in life,” as growing health complications have left her barely able to move.
The family (who withheld their last names for fear of victimization) is now requesting the aid of the National Security Ministry in returning her elderly mother, Catherine, without whom Isabelle is unsure she can survive.
Speaking to the Express in a telephone interview on Friday, the mother and daughter explained Isabelle’s tumultuous medical history.
Diagnosed with Lupus in 2007, Isabelle’s kidneys were damaged by the disease in 2010. Since then, she said, she has undergone both peritoneal and hemodialysis, suffered three seizures and been significantly weakened by these issues.
Throughout these hard times, she said, her mother has always been by her side to provide necessary support.
“I have been diagnosed with lupus since 2007 and by 2010 the lupus attacked my kidneys and by 2014. During this journey there were a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs. I had three seizures within the years gone by and my mom has been with me every step of the way, she never left my side,” she said.
On February 6, Isabel’s mother, Catherine, left the country to visit her elderly mother in Moruca, Guyana. The visit was scheduled to last for six weeks.
Unable to return with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent border closure, she has been forced to worry from afar as her daughter battled emerging complications as a result of dialysis.
A malfunctioning catheter led to Isabelle’s hospitalization at the Mount Hope Hospital in October. After a three-week hospital stay and several blood transfusions, she says she continues to deal with the many side effects associated with her condition.
“Unfortunately, my PD catheter stopped working around October time I was rushed to Mount Hope because that is where my clinic is. They decided to change it so I did the procedure to change it but it still didn’t work. This time I wasn’t receiving dialysis so fluid buildup in my lungs and I couldn’t breathe. I had to rush to the hospital again where I stayed for three weeks.”
“During that period, they put in a line in my neck to do dialysis and my body isn’t agreeing with the new hemodialysis and I got weak and lost a tremendous amount of weight. I’ve gotten three blood transfusions within the month of October and November. It’s been hard without my mom, I depend on help to do everything. Even to use the washroom, I need assistance,” she said.
Now depending on the limited aid of her father and brother, who are both full-time employees, she said that she is unsure how she will survive the upcoming months without the support of her mother.
“It’s hard. I am weak but still I have to try on my own. I need her so bad right now. I’ve been alone in my down time, please it’s hard because my dad and brother work but they have to be with me because I can’t stand on my own,” she said.
According to Catherine, her extended stay outside of the country has produced fear and anxiety in her life. Each day, she said, she worries about the fate of her only daughter.
“I am so worried about her, there are so many things that happened and it has been so hard on her without me. I am the person that helps her. All these things happened and I could not be there, it is very stressful,” she said.
Now relocated to the home of a relative in Georgetown in the hope of accessing a flight home, she fears that she may not be able to return home before the end of the year. Dependent on the generosity of others to feed and take care of herself, she says she may soon return to Moruca if no response is received.
“It’s hard because I have to withhold the money I have if we could get a flight and I have to pay for that and for a PCR test. The public hospitals here will not test if you are not exhibiting symptoms so I cannot get it done through there. I am depending on others for everything, I have nothing of my own here and I feel like I am imposing,” said Catherine.
In May, she said, her son wrote a detailed letter to the Ministry of National Security accompanied by an exemption application. Three similar applications have since been sent to the Ministry. However, no response has been received.
Speaking at a news conference in November, National Security Minister, Stuart Young stated that the vast majority of stranded nationals were cleared through the exemption process. A continuation of this process, he said, would continue in line with the Government’s liberalized exemption policy.
The Express contacted National Security Minister, Stuart Young on Friday to request an update on the number of stranded nationals who have yet to receive exemptions. The Express asked if situations such as that being faced by Isabelle and her mother were given priority in the Ministry’s exemption policies.
No immediate response was received.
