Melieka Crawford and her battle with blindness
MELIEKA Crawford was just 11-years-old when she was diagnosed with Congenital Cataract – a disease that affects the eyes natural lens causing it to become cloudy.
The news of the disease being present in both eyes had devastated her to the point of believing that her dream of becoming a lawyer was no longer possible.
“Growing up, I had always aspired to become a lawyer, it was my first option, but when I found out that I had an eye problem, I limited myself,” Crawford said, as she sat on a couch in her East Ruimveldt, Georgetown home and recalled the earlier days of coming to terms with her disease.
At six, Melieka’s mother, Pauletta Marshall had realised that one of her eyes was discoloured, but it took another five years before the disease was diagnosed.
Melieka was taken to a renowned ophthalmologist in the country, but the disease was never diagnosed until she was transferred to Dr. Shailendra Sugrim, while she was a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital Eye Clinic.
The diagnosis was made in 2010 at a time when the disease had already spread, causing her to go completely blind in the left eye and partially blind in the right. The deterioration had occurred shortly after she had written the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). Notwithstanding the many challenges that came with the disease, Melieka had earned her spot at one of the country’s leading secondary schools – St. Rose’s High.
“It wasn’t challenging,” she said, while alluding to her school days, but like many visually impaired children, Melieka endured five long years of being bullied.
“Children use to bully me and call me different names. They thought that because I have an eye problem, I couldn’t perform as well as they did, but I constantly reminded them that I wrote common entrance and I got the same school with them,” she said.
The many years of bullying did not eat away on the fabric of her esteem, however. Instead, it empowered her to be the best version of herself. She had chosen to look at the positives in her life and block out the negatives. In 2015, she wrote three subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations, and though her grades were less than desired, the results did not deter her.
In 2016, while a student at the Guyana Society for the Blind, Melieka wrote six subjects at the CSEC Examinations and secured passes in all of the subjects, including a Grade Two in English.
“My experience at the Society for the Blind was great. They just encouraged me so much to push myself, never to limit who I am and that empowered me so much and I broke the limit barrier,” Melieka said with a sense of satisfaction.
Today, Melieka, who is now 18, is on a mission to become much more than just a lawyer. “I am currently studying International Relations at the University of Guyana and my hope is to become an ambassador for my country,” she said said with much optimism.
The IR student, who is now entering her second year at the country’s premier university, plans to study law after acquiring her first degree. “My first year was a bit difficult, but I am up for the challenge. I will manage. My best friend, she helps me do every single thing. Like we do everything together, I met her when I went to St Rose’s in First Form and now we are at UG doing the same programme,” she said.
Melieka touted her biggest cheerleaders as her parents, Pauletta Marshall and Marvin Crawford; her best friend, Chamile Persuad and her many supporters at the Guyana Society for the Blind.
For the 18-year-old her world is filled with possibilities. “At first I told myself the cataract in my eyes, I can’t do this and I can’t do that, but then I realised that I am normal. I can do this, I can do that and I can do anything I set my mind to achieve.”
In fulfilling her dreams, Melieka made it clear that she will not be defined by society, she will chart her own course.
“I never used a cane because I don’t want to depend on a cane to help me do stuff. A cane defines a person with a visual disability, but I don’t want to be defined by a cane. I want to be able to move around by myself, tell when traffic is coming by myself. I don’t want people to treat me special. I am a normal human being,” she stated.
In August 2016, Melieka was also diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia after experiencing severe pains to her joints. Sickle cell anaemia is caused by an abnormal type of haemoglobin called “Haemoglobin S.”
Almost all people with sickle cell anaemia have painful episodes called ‘crises.’ These can last from hours to days. Crises can cause pain in the lower back, leg, joints, and chest.
The diagnosis of that disease further caused Melieka to question herself. “Sometimes I get tired and I want to give up, but I have come to the realisation that there are people who are facing similar challenges, and even more challenges than me and they never give up. So, I am never giving up.”
Her mother Pauletta Marshall, said that notwithstanding the diseases, she is happy that her daughter is a fighter. Between 2010 and 2012, Melieka underwent three surgeries including one in Trinidad and Tobago. To save the right eye, Dr. Sugrim has recommended that a corneal transplant be done, but due to the complexity of the disease, the surgery has to be done in the U.S.
