Appeal launched to help 3-y-o Majesty Gardens girl get life-changing surgery

A race against time is under way to give three-year-old Ayana Wilson a chance at a better future, with a St Andrew charity appealing to Jamaicans at home and abroad to help raise $3 million to facilitate her overseas medical treatment.

Ayana, who lives with her family in Majesty Gardens, St Andrew, needs life-changing surgery that doctors say must be performed within a critical time frame to prevent permanent damage and deformity.

The child was born with a shoulder injury.

Founder of the Crisis Support Charity, Stephen Joseph, is leading the appeal to raise the funds to cover Ayana's airfare, accommodation, transportation, and other expenses associated with her treatment in the United States.

He told The Gleaner that the charity initially faced quotations running into millions of Jamaican dollars for the surgery before reaching out to Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, United States.

The hospital has agreed to perform the surgery at no cost to the family.

However, he said time is critical.

The surgery is scheduled for November 9, but Ayana must travel to the United States ahead of the procedure for additional tests and observation in November.

After that, he said, she will need another six weeks of therapy in the US.

“The surgery has to be performed within the year for the child to fully recover without permanent deformity,” Joseph stressed.

“If it doesn't happen within this timeline, she is going to be disabled and will not be able to function as a normal child.”

Joseph said that while the hospital will provide the surgery free of charge, the family – which is also catering to another child with physical challenges – faces significant expenses associated with getting Ayana to Philadelphia and keeping her there throughout her treatment.

According to Joseph, “Every dollar, every act of kindness, and every share” could help move Ayana closer to receiving the treatment she needs.

- Corey Robinson

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