–after being involved in minibus accident

TELEVISION repair technician Dale Roach, 50, of Rosehall Town, Corentyne, after being struck down by a speeding minibus at Portuguese Quarters on the Corentyne on June 27 last, was hours later rushed from New Amsterdam Hospital to the Georgetown Public Hospital in a critical condition.

He sustained injuries to his head, neck and shoulders. His lower jaw was fractured, face bruised and battered, and his teeth knocked out. For weeks he was unable to eat, speak or in any way use his mouth. He was fed intra-veinously and was literally glued to his hospital bed. And even to cleaning his mouth was an ordeal. But surprisingly, weeks later he was on his road to recovery.
His sister, Debra Gilkes who resides at Linden received word of Dale’s injury shortly before midnight that Friday, and hurried down to Georgetown. On arriving at the hospital, she was devastated at being hardly able to recognize her brother. His face was swollen and badly disfigured, as a result of the impact from the front of the minibus. It was a miracle his neck was not broken, relatives say.
Roache was picked up in an unconscious state and first taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was stabilized and given first line treatment. But as his condition appeared to be getting worse, he was evacuated to the Georgetown Public Hospital by ambulance around 3:00 hrs Saturday morning.
At the Georgetown Public Hospital, doctors began working feverishly on the injured man. He underwent several surgeries, and to the untrained eye, his recovery process initially seemed long and slow, but the doctors were confident and never gave up.
“I was surprised to find one day that he was trying to feed himself with solids. I ventured closer, only to discover that his mouth was healed and that the maxillofacial surgeon and/or dentist had done an expert job at repairing his mouth and teeth. The silver used to brace them back in place took on a beautiful lace design. He removed the mouth cover and smiled broadly, as though displaying them with pride. That was when I knew he was beginning to speak once more,” Gilkes recalled.
Roache disclosed that the matter had been reported at Whim Police Station and the errant motorist was placed on $300,000 bail. The matter has been put down for a later date.
Meanwhile, Mr. Roach’s family would like to join him in expressing their profound appreciation to the doctors and nursing staff at the Georgetown Public Hospital for their very professional and highly efficient medical care; to the nurses especially for their patience and understanding, and for the prayer teams who prayed with him and helped him find hope. They are also grateful to the staff of the New Amsterdam Hospital where he spent a few hours before being transferred to the GPHC.

(By Shirley Thomas)