THE mere thought of his son not surviving the battle with brain tumor has left Leslie Fredericks desperate to find an avenue of hope.
Seventeen-year-old Rayon Fredericks was diagnosed with the disease less than a year ago after persistent complaints to his parents about a worsening hearing problem. “The doctors said that he needs to have a big operation between June and July this year or he could die,” the father lamented.
The older Fredericks said his scion began complaining about the hearing and then his eyes were affected as he was preparing for Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) tests.
After visits to several hospitals, the family, of Hururu, Upper Berbice River, were given the grim prognosis and immediately started to seek the best care for the teenager.
But, to date, the gravely ill has only had installed a shunt (device which allows excess cerebrospinal fluid to drain to another area of the body), which was done at the Seventh Day Adventist Community Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago.
However, that intervention did not stop the growth of the tumor, only serving as a way of alleviating pressure on his brain and, as a result, Rayon’s condition deteriorated and he is now blind.
His father is, therefore, soliciting financial assistance to have the life-saving operation performed in Trinidad, The cost is TT$121,165 or G$4,119, 610 but just a small fraction of the required sum has been accumulated, so far.
“We have saved about G$360,000 and we raised more after a telethon last Saturday but we are running out of time and are asking kind-hearted persons out there for help,” the older Fredericks appealed.
He said an account has been opened at Republic Bank, with the number 508- 7721 to receive donations and he can be contacted on telephone numbers 676-5903 and 690-7908.
Suppressing tears, the determined father made this supplication:“Rayon loved to sing and tell stories. He was very jovial before his illness and, if this surgery is not done by July, my son could die. We are asking for help to save his life.”