THREE-year-old Safuna Lewis, the South Sophia toddler stricken with Retinoblastoma (a childhood cancer of the eye), two weeks ago began receiving radiation therapy at the Mercy Cancer Institute in Georgetown, with the hope of being able to preserve her vision in the right eye, following blindness in the left.
However, soon after the commencement of the treatment, which was scheduled to run for five weeks, the machine being used to conduct the treatment at the institute broke down, forcing an interruption of therapy.  An engineer contracted from Venezuela to execute repairs to the machine was expected to arrive in Guyana yesterday, increasing the likelihood of little Safuna resuming her radiation therapy.
Chicago-based Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Narendra Bhalla, who commenced radiation on the child on his arrival here two weeks ago, advised that over a five week period she would be given 25 treatments.
However, after being treated on August 10, 11, 12 and 17 the machine developed problems.  Dr. Bhalla has since returned to the United States and, in the meantime, responsibility for the child’s continued radiation therapy has been handed over to Associate Consultant, Dr. Gusev Campbell, who is based at the local institute.
The three-year-old is not warded at an institution, but reports to the Cancer Institute whenever radiation is to be given.  Having established a professional relationship with the client and her mother, Ms Zureena Lewis, Dr. Campbell and nurses at the Institute have been keeping a close contact with the family in order to ensure things are done in her best interest.  Dr. Campbell has prescribed medication for her and advised her mother on its useage.
Contacted by this newspaper, the Cancer Institute apologized for the inconvenience, advised that the engineer was due in Guyana yesterday, and expressed optimism that the machine should be up and running again soon.
Meanwhile, briefing this newspaper on the child’s condition to date, Zureena Lewis and her mother Bernice reported having seen positive signs of the growth in the child’s eye being reduced after radiation began. However, after about one week of treatment, the women said, there were signs of deterioration, which is now causing them some concern.
“After the treatment started, the growth started to get smaller but after the machine broke down and the treatment was stopped, we notice that the growth began getting bigger and she is not seeing now,” the child’s mother said, dolefully.
The woman, responding to a question on her criteria for forming this judgement, replied:  “When we hold things up in front of her and tell her to take them, she attempts reaching out, but aims in the wrong direction.”
She admits she is now so afraid of even having her move around by herself for fear that she might fall and hurt the eye.  The mother is therefore restricting Safuna’s movements when either adult is not around.
On a sullen note, they added that little Safuna is very much aware of and sensitive to her health condition.  Very often she would comment on her treatment, asking her mother if the doctor is not coming back ‘fast’, so she could be treated and not have to lose her one remaining eye.  She also prays regularly, asking “Gentle Jesus, please heal my eye so that ah won’t get blind.”   At nights, she would not go to sleep unless her mother prays with her about her sight. “We are pleased about her faith in God and her confidence that the doctors will be able to do something to save her sight, but much depends on the arrival of the engineer to fix the problem with the radiotherapy machine,” the mother added.
Last month, following a public appeal made by the child’s mother, Ms. Zureena Lewis for financial assistance to offset the cost of radiation treatment to shrink the growth in Safuna’s right eye, Pandit Suresh Sugrim of the New Jersey Arya Samaj, conducting humanitarian work in Guyana at the time, was the first to respond with a generous donation of $20,000 to assist the child’s cause.  Her mother wishes to reiterate her thanks to Pandit Sugrim and the New Jersey Arya Samaj, as well as others who made other kind donations towards the appeal.