A mother’s only wish at the moment is for her 12-year-old daughter to regain consciousness and live a normal life again. However, presently, her daughter remains in critical condition due to a fractured skull after being struck down by a speeding car at Aurora Estate, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
Rehana Basdeo, a student of the Abram Zuil Secondary School, on the Essequibo Coast, is battling for her life in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Yesterday, Stabroek News sat down with the parents who recounted the ordeal. Rehana was riding her bicycle on Saturday heading to meet her dad at a home under construction. Her mom, who was also heading to the site, had taken a head start
At some point in her journey, Rehana stopped to cross the road, in the vicinity of Good Intent Public Road and it was at that point she was struck down by the speeding car.
She was picked up and rushed to the Suddie Hospital by a passing minibus and accompanied by the driver of the car. When they had heard what had happened, parents Ramesh Basdeo and Romona Brijmohan rushed to the hospital and found their youngest daughter of four in the emergency section.
Doctors at the Suddie Hospital reportedly told the family that due to her injuries, she would have to be airlifted to Georgetown for critical medical attention. That airlift after being promised at 8 that night came at midnight, due to the unavailability of the chopper and other issues.
In Georgetown, a CT scan was done, which showed that the injured child had a fractured skull and internal bleeding in her head.
“Right now, she has been in the hospital ICU since Saturday to now. She had to do an emergency surgery and we had to get a helicopter to get her down to Georgetown. They had to perform an emergency surgery at 3 am, which lasted over 4 hours” Basdeo informed.
The visibly worried father explained that since the surgery, his daughter has not been responding and remains unconscious. He added that doctors say that his daughter is in critical condition but stable.
Now, the hope is for Rehana to recover and get back to her original self.
‘We are hoping that she recovers and that she can go back to school and be the same person she was. Rehana is the first person who normally gets up in the morning before 7. Rehana is already ready to go to school, you don’t have to tell Rehana ‘you have a bag to pack, you have homework to do.’ Rehana is the first person to do anything, she willingly goes. She is not a person who would not do anything for you”, her mother said.
The police have stated that investigations are continuing and the driver was arrested. It is, however, unclear if the driver still remains in the custody or is out on bail.
