Though a fire left her severely disfigured, five-year-old Abigail King has her heart set on becoming a teacher.Along with her guardian Evelyn Mitchell, she grapples with the physical and emotional scars. Change will come for Abigail. With the help of Jamaica, that is.
The five-year-old is one of three children who will have a better opportunity for a normal life through Television Jamaica (TVJ) and partners' new Child Month initiative, Change a Life Jamaica, which aims to raise funds to underwrite the cost for surgery and rehabilitation of children who are afflicted with serious medical conditions that prevent them from living normal lives.
Change A Life Jamaica was recently launched on the station's flagship morning show, Smile Jamaica, whose overarching goal is to forever improve the children's lives.
Eleven-year-old Deborah Johnson and 11-year-old Ramon Rankin are the two other children who are prioritised to benefit from the Change A Life Jamaica initiative, and both need several surgeries and longer-term rehabilitation.
Born with a condition known as myelomeningocele, Deborah's left foot is deformed and has a neuropathic ulcer. As a result, she is unable to walk or wear a shoe on the left foot and currently uses a wheelchair to get around. After surgery, Deborah will wear a cast for about two months, a brace to prevent the deformity from recurring, and she'll need physical therapy to assist with mobility. If the deformity is corrected she may be able to stand up with support.
Ramon's illness affects the growth of his face. He was born with the left side of his face poorly developed, including his ear, mouth and jaw. Ramon needs plastic surgery to correct his abnormality, and an array of devices and implements to complete the corrections.
Media campaign
TVJ's Change A Life Jamaica initiative is supported by an extensive media campaign throughout the month of May, with each RJR Communications Group brand airing appeals and messages, and with print support from The Gleaner Company, and SMS/Phone support from communications giant Digicel.
The fund-raising efforts will culminate on Sunday, May 30, with a live 8:30 p.m. prime-time made-for-TV special.
Already, Guardian Life Ltd and Digicel have shown a steadfast commitment to the cause as each donated $1 million to Change A Life Jamaica. Digicel has also provided a phone number to call or text the word HELP to 444-2481. Each call/text costs $25.
Donations to Change A Life Jamaica may be made through BNS Jamaican dollar account number 822945, US dollar account number 822946, and Jamaica National Jamaican dollar account number 10972371, US dollar account number 10972378 and British pound account number 10972375.
From despair to hope
In 1954, at six months old, Donald Taylor was struck with poliomyelitis in one leg. Living in Hanover meant a difficult life, as school was more than a mile away from home. Concerned about the development of their son, his parents committed him to the then Mona Rehabilitation Centre at age five, the place that would change his life forever.
"I know if I was at home I would have been pampered and cuddled and I would not be the person that I have become," asserted Taylor.
"I got a very good primary-school education there, and I was among many other children like myself, some who were worse, but we were taught to be independent."
He chuckled as he reminisced on his early days at the centre, stressing that he learnt a myriad of life skills, and handcraft, including woodwork and painting, but "was never taught to cook".
Fast-forward more than 50 years, and Taylor is still at the centre, now called the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre. This time, however, he is not a patient, but rather, the counselling psychologist for the institution, even as he renders his services as a craft teacher.
Taylor's achievement spells a monumental accomplishment, as he has earned two master's degrees and is now giving back to the place that taught him everything, "except to cook".
rehabilitation works
Taylor's story proves that long-term rehabilitation works, and enables individuals to move on and live meaningful lives.
Gladston Simpson, director of nursing services at the centre, said Taylor was one of several patients who grew up at the Golding Avenue, St Andrew, premises and has returned to show appreciation.
Simpson, who is a trained nurse, has been in the post for eight years, after spending over two decades in the field at the Kingston Public Hospital.
"Nurses don't get good pay, so the thing that keeps us there is the fact that we know that we're assisting individuals to find their place in society," he said. "It is very gratifying."
Simpson said the rehabilitation centre has child and adult wards which cater to a total of 55 patients. It offers several free services, including medical, nursing and physiotherapy. There is also the social work department which affects different aspects of each patient's life. The Occupational Therapy Department, though not functional for more than six months, teaches simple tasks like buttoning a shirt, an important function that some patients have to relearn.
Providing artificial limbs and corrective shoes is an additional service at the centre, and a private company, at a cost, makes these at the centre.
However, the centre faces several challenges, including a shortage of funding, lack of proper maintenance of machinery, and obsolete buildings and equipment. These problems often hinders employees in the efficient completion of their duties, but Simpson maintains the work must be done.
"We are short of resources at times, but we manage to do our very best to help patients to come to a level where they can go home and live satisfying lives."
Taylor, who now walks with the assistance of crutches, acknowledges that he owes a debt of gratitude to the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre and there is one life lesson that he will not forget.
"I learnt to be self-sufficient and to do for myself," he declared.
The Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre is one of the medical partners in TVJ's Change a Life Jamaica project which will give three children afflicted with serious medical conditions a better opportunity for a better life. The project culminates with a special live television programme on Sunday, May 30.