TWO years after being transported via medical air ambulance to the United States for advanced treatment after a gasoline container exploded and left her with severe injuries, seven-year-old Neleissa La Rose is still on the road to recovery.

Saving Hands Emergency Aid (SHEA) in a recent Facebook post, said that the child who is joyful and healthy, will be returning to the United States on July 25, for laser therapy to help with uneven skin texture, surgery to address problem areas and to be fitted with a new prosthetic leg, since she has outgrown her current one.

In February 2020, La Rose was admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) but was unable to receive treatment given the severity of her injuries. The hospital could not facilitate the advanced treatment that was needed to save her life.

She received third degree burns to 70 per cent of her body at her home at Maria Henrietta, Berbice River.

SHEA Charity had accepted the case of the then four-year-old and was able to secure treatment for her in Houston, Texas. There, she underwent urgent lifesaving surgery.

The Facebook post stated: “Thanks to our generous and kindhearted supporters and Neleissa’s father’s employers, she was quickly transferred and began treatment to save her life. Unfortunately, one of her legs needed to be amputated during treatment. After completing her initial treatment, she returned home to Guyana to recover.”

Another post made in April 2020 stated that the child was transported from Georgetown, Guyana to Houston, Texas via air ambulance and was immediately placed into treatment upon her arrival.

She had undergone several extensive surgeries but due to the extent of her injuries, she developed an infection in her leg. Despite her doctors’ desperate attempts to save her leg, they were unsuccessful and instead had to amputate, to save her life.

By July 2020, La Rose had completed all of her initial treatment and therapies. She was then able to walk unassisted with her prosthesis (leg) and returned home to Guyana. She has had several follow-up treatments in the US and SHEA provided assistance to facilitate them.