The last time we showed you baby Tarrell - the 5 year old with Ichthyosis - his skin condition had taken a turn for the worst. The care Tarrell needs is not available in Belize so once again, the child is forced to return to the United States for medical attention. Tarrell's treatment has been an expensive journey but tonight we are happy to report that the Sutherland family is getting some much needed assistance from the group calling themselves called PROTO - People Reaching Out to Others. PROTO's President Mark Usher is calling on the public to support a fundraising barbecue being organized for Tarrell.
Mark Usher, President - PROTO
"The fundraiser is phase 3 for the Tarrell levity drive that we have started last year. Remember we started by raising about $18,000.000 plus dollars for him and his mom to go to the treatment centre in Houston. Then phase two we had promise that after Tarrell and Nicole left that we would work on building an air-conditioned room at their residence in Corozal - so we have done that and the amount of materials and stuff we got donated we completed almost 80% of that little room. We already got an air-conditioner donated and so all we need to do is put on roof materials, put in the windows and a door and we are good to go with that."
"Part of the money that we raise from these barbeque will be used to finish that room because regardless of what happen there is a certain amount of reality that means that Tarrell may have to end up living in Belize or spending some time in Belize so that's just
the reality. Another thing that needs to be happen is both Tarrel and Nicole's visa were up in February of this year. To go for a visa there is a cost, so that again - part of the proceeds will be used to get their visas. I don't expect that they will have problems getting visa for both of them."
"The third aspect now has to do with travelling. We were fortunate enough to have gotten the tickets free last year. We may have to do some payment this year, so we are looking also at that, that the proceeds will cover their costs for travel, so he can go and get his therapy."
Monica Bodden
"When is the barbeque sale?"
Mark Usher, President - PROTO
"We start tomorrow; Friday and Saturday. We will see how tomorrow goes because we are preparing a certain amount of meat. I expect that it will be sold off and as such if that's the case then maybe we may not be in a position to do some more by Saturday."
"Let me just say that we've decided to go straight to Smiling Meats and let them do all the preparation for the meats, so we are getting all our meats form Smiling. It includes chicken (our chickens are 4 pounds and not 3 pounds) there is a difference because when you barbeque a 3 pound chicken it shrinks, but when you barbeque a 4 pound you get a good plate. We will have also Matthew Smiling's pork ribs and the famous Italian sausage. Smiling Meats makes a fabulous Italian sausage, some time ago when we had done 1,000 plates barbeque for the basketball team when we were raising funds - we had sold a lot of the sausage on a stick and I said let's try that again, so we will have the sausage on a stick. The chicken is $8. The sausage on a stick is $5. The pork chops will be $10 and as you saw a while ago we have some people preparing fish, we are going to do barbeque fish and hopefully if I can get some lobster we will also do those."
Proto says they are hoping to raise twelve thousand dollars for little Tarrell. The barbecue sale will be held at the Cinderella Plaza Taxi Stand- every Friday and Saturday for the next three weeks. Orders can be placed at telephone number 635-7092.
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