Sagicor Foundation funds paediatric heart surgeries

The Sagicor Foundation has donated $1 million to Chain of Hope Jamaica, the fundraising arm of the Bustamante Hospital for Children’s Cardiac Centre. The donation was done to support the funding of a mission of US-based doctors to the island to conduct 10 critical heart surgeries for children on the hospital’s cardiology waiting list.

Among the beneficiaries was 14-year-old Rickayla Miller, a long-standing patient at the Cardiac Unit who was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease and mitral valve prolapse (RHD MV) from a young age. Miller, who was admitted on January 15, underwent a successful surgery and has since been recovering well.

Christopher Zacca, chairman of the Sagicor Foundation, expressed heartfelt enthusiasm, stating, “We are so happy to be a part of Rickayla’s journey. This is the kind of life- changing impact that we, as a foundation and a company, are committed to making for our children through our support of the healthcare sector. With the work that has been done on this mission to bring international aid and expertise to the island, these children now have a better quality of life.Together, with Chain of Hope Jamaica, we want to continue to support similar missions as a part of our dedication to improving healthcare for our children.”

$33 million was raised

The Sagicor Foundation’s partnership with Chain of Hope Jamaica dates back to 2012, when over $33 million was raised through the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run. The funds raised that year were exclusively directed to supporting the establishment of the state-of-the-art Cardiac Unit at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, which is the only one of it’s kind in the region and serves the entire Caribbean.

Rickayla’s mom, Nadine Austin, tearfully thanked the Sagicor Foundation and the mission doctors, saying, “Words can’t express how I feel, and saying ‘thank you’ to the Sagicor Foundation is not enough. Rickayla is doing a lot better since the surgery, and even though you can’t stop life from happening, the deep fear and worry that I had all these years has finally eased. I am at peace knowing that after eight long years, she has been able to get her surgery done.”

With this recent donation, Zacca noted that the Sagicor Foundation remains resolute in its mission of uplifting communities and ensuring a brighter, healthier future for all Jamaicans.