Over the years we’ve received literally hundreds, if not thousands
of requests for our assistance in broadcasting appeals to fellow Belizeans for
financial donations to numerous causes, both private and public. Today, however,
we bring to you the story of one family who’s not asking for your financial
assistance; they’re asking for blood. Sherona Marsden stopped by our studios
today to appeal for help on behalf of her sister, Cheriese Tillett who is hospitalized
at the KHMH with haemorragic Dengue – which causes profuse bleeding in
those who contract it. It’s a severe, potentially deadly infection and
that’s why Marsden says her sister needs your help.
Sherona Marsden, Sister of KHMH Patient
“She went to the doctor and they did an ultrasound and some blood
work and they suspected that it might have been dengue. Because of the financial
constraints we chose to go to another institution and it was then they verified
that it was that type of dengue and they have been treating her since for that.”
Jim McFadzean,
“Why the public appeal for blood donation?”
Sherona Marsden,
“Well honestly we have exhausted our resources. Initially she used
ten pints in two days or that was requested and that in itself was difficult
to obtain. Then I think a day later the doctor told me that she needed 10 more
pints and I thought it was next to impossible. We appealed on the radio, I actually
called in on the WUB Show this morning and that went out too and I have gotten
some calls but it still isn’t enough to sustain. I haven’t reached
that mark of 20 pints yet and I was told by the nurse last night, the nurse
in charge at the medical ward, that she may need more, the reason being that
is the only way to treat this particular disease, the nature of the disease
is that the person bleeds out. It takes platelet count down and I think the
worse case scenario is that that person would have haemorrhaging in the brain
and that is what we are trying to avoid with the transfusions. So I am asking
the public. We are out of options.
She is an O positive and that’s basically it. To do the donations
all you need to do is to go into whichever district you are, the central lab
there, state that you are donation for Cheriese Tillet and that you are O positive
and that she is. You do the donation and have that lab call the lab in Belize
here and they will be able to give her that blood. It is as basic as that.”
If you would like to donate blood to the Cheriese Tillet’s cause
you can contact her sister at 604-9695. According to Ministry of Health Epidemiologist
Dr. Ethan Gough, 1,370 cases of Dengue were recorded in Belize in 2009. Two
hundred and ninety four of those cases were confirmed by lab tests as Dengue,
and 87 were diagnosed as dengue hemorrhagic. He says that so far 2010 has shown
a sharp downturn on the number of cases reported in the public health system.
Email
Print