In September last year, Trisha Ramdass was rushed to the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital to give birth to her only daughter. The mother of five was expected to return home to celebrate the arrival of her bundle of joy but she faced another life changing event within two months of the birth as she was diagnosed with cancer.
Her husband, Matidial Pooran, 43, a weeder of Lot 4 Vryheid Village, West Canje, Berbice, said Ramdass, 28, was diagnosed with stage 3 vaginal cancer.
According to Pooran, Ramdass has been hospitalized at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital for the past two weeks due to heavy bleeding and excruciating pain. He said she has been experiencing both the bleeding and pain since her C – Section – and that it pains his heart to see his young wife in such a condition.
Presently, Ramdass requires chemo-therapy along with a CT scan and ultrasound, which is expected to cost over some $700,000 in total. Pooran said they need the money to commence the process on Monday. “It’s at the Cancer Institute and she needs to start on Monday, I already have some, about $300,000, but I really need some help right now,” the devastated told Stabroek News.
He said he was forced to spend whatever money he had to take care of his children and his hospitalised wife, who has not been able to work since the diagnosis.
Pooran, who has been running back and forth to the hospital with his wife, said the woman cannot even care for their infant child – the couple’s first daughter – due to her condition and he has been managing the responsibility with assistance from his relatives nd neighbour.
According to Pooran, the baby was born premature and had to be placed in an incubator. He said, his wife and the baby spent about two weeks in the hospital after which they were discharged.
However, after his wife continued to bleed profusely after returning home, they became extremely worried, as she then started to experience intense pain, as well as passing massive blood clots.
He noted that although his wife did not experience this in her previous pregnancies they had initially thought that it was due to the birth of their child. But after noticing that the pain and bleeding were continuing two months after, they returned to the hospital for answers, and it was then after a few visits that the young mother was given her diagnosis, which left her devastated.
After the diagnosis, which was confirmed by the Woodlands Hospital in Georgetown, they were then sent to the Cancer Institute at the Georgetown Public Hospital. There they were informed that Ramdass needed to have a CT scan and an ultrasound.
At that point Pooran pleaded with his family for assistance to carry out the tests and they helped him with whatever little they could. However, at this point, he is without any money to take care of his family as he has exhausted all he had.
Meanwhile, Pooran noted, that while at the Cancer Institute a relative made contact with Dr. Bob Ramnauth, Chief Executive Officer at the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital, and they were then informed to return to Berbice to have the woman hospitalized at the regional facility.
Pooran’s relatives have stepped up tremendously for him as well as some of his neighbours. He said his infant child and another child are being taken care of by his mother, 72, while his mother-in-law is taking care of another child and his neighbours are taking care of the others whenever he is away at the hospital.
Pooran noted that he wakes up from 3 am to prepare porridge for his baby, food for his children, and separate food for his wife before proceeding to the hospital at 6 am.
The father of five made an appeal to the general public and anyone else who may be able to help as he is desperate. The family can be contacted on telephone numbers 625–6362 or 625–7595.
