FORTY–seven-year-old Pauline Thomas of Aishalton Village, Region 9, who died at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) last Saturday after eating an under-cooked Amerindian dish is to be buried on Monday.Her husband Cosmo Thomas yesterday told the Sunday Chronicle that his wife will be buried at Parika, Region 3, since it will be very costly to have her body prepared for burial in the city, then flown back to Aishalton for burial.
But parting is hard and his one big fear at this time is that he might not get a chance to see his wife who is soon to be buried. He said arrangements are being made for his discharge from hospital and he is hoping that this does not fall through.
Still pensive and appearing in a state of shock, Cosmo lamented: “I never get to see she again since we came to Georgetown Hospital that night….. I really want to see my wife; this will be the last.” And in fact it was the last meal she served him as well.
The grieving widower said that in view of the fact that their eldest son Prestley Thomas lives at Parika, it will be more cost effective to have his mother buried on the coastland.
Cosmo, who partook of the meal on August 21, also fell ill and both were rushed to the Aishalton Hospital from whence they were air-dashed to the city for referral to the GPH. There, they were admitted to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) where they remained under treatment and doctors’ close medical watch.
While Cosmo responded favourably to treatment, his wife’s condition deteriorated and on Saturday she breathed her last.
The deeply distraught farmer recalled that his wife had cooked the meal of tapioca, but they later came to realise that the cassava starch content was under-cooked. As a result, the meal retained traces of cyanide which proved fatal.
“About half an hour after eating, we began to get headache, bad feelings and vomiting, and later our condition get worse, so we had to hurry to the hospital. We reached the hospital about 8:30 p.m. and they admitted us,” Cosmo related.
He said even though their two daughters – aged 14 and 11 had also eaten the meal, and two nephews – 5 and 6, they took down with vomiting and nausea alone. But they (the couple) had eaten the bulk of the food and so, bore the brunt of the effects.
Asked how he was feeling yesterday, Cosmo replied, “The treatment I received in the hospital is working. I feeling good now and I can walk and go to the toilet and bathroom.”
However, the widower’s main concern is about being released from hospital on time to be able to see his wife’s face before she is buried. Meanwhile, their two daughters Donna and Sharon were expected to arrive in Georgetown from Aishalton yesterday for the funeral.