The mere thought of his son not surviving his battle with a brain tumour has left Leslie Fredericks desperate to find an avenue of hope.
Seventeen-year-old Rayon Fredericks was diagnosed with a brain tumour less than a year ago, after frequent complaints to his parents about a worsening hearing problem.
“The doctors say that he needs to have the big operation between June and July of this year or he could die,” Fredericks lamented.
“He started telling us that he was having problems hearing, that is how it started, then his eyes were affected, so we realized that this was a big problem,” the concerned father explained.
The teenager was preparing for CXC exams when he fell ill.
After repeated visits to several hospitals, the family, who lives at Hururu, in the Upper Berbice River, was given the grim prognosis and immediately started to seek the best care for their child.
To date, the gravely ill teenager has had a shunt installed, a device which allows excess cerebrospinal fluid to drain to another area of the body, and this was done at the Community Hospital of Seventh Day Adventists in Trinidad and Tobago.
However, this intervention did not stop the growth of the tumour, but did serve to alleviate the pressure on the brain.
Since then, Rayons Fredericks’ condition has deteriorated and he is now blind.
As his son’s condition worsens, Mr. Fredericks continues to seek financial assistance to have the life-saving operation performed in Trinidad, which will cost the family TT$121, 165, or the equivalent of G$4, 119, 610.
He explained that the required sum for the surgery has been accumulated through fund-raising activities and donations so far.
“We have raised the money for the operation, but we are asking kindhearted people out there for their help in paying for the two weeks accommodation,” Fredericks stated.
Mr. Fredericks and his son are scheduled to depart for Trinidad today, through the kind sponsorship of Caribbean Airlines Limited, who donated the tickets.
“I would like to thank the airline for the two tickets and to everyone else who has   helped so far to make the operation possible,” he stated .
An account has been set up at Republic Bank ,with account number 508- 7721 to receive donations on Rayon’s behalf, or interested persons can contact Mr. Leslie Fredericks on telephone numbers 676-5903 or 690-7908.
Suppressing tears, the determined father who is desperate to save his son’s life, made one last 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,” he said.