2-y-o in urgent need of life-saving heart surgery
Published:Saturday | October 8, 2022 | 12:08 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Tanya Williams is growing more anxious daily as her two-year-old son, Jahari Headley, is in need of urgent heart surgery with his condition worsening.
In an interview with The Gleaner on Friday, Williams detailed how she took her son to the doctor’s office last week for a checkup and was told that he was showing no indications of improvement.
The concerned mother of two other healthy boys, ages 11 and 10, said she frequently ponders why Jahari was afflicted with this condition.
The toddler was born with a large hole and two smaller holes in his heart, along with other heart complications.
The condition is known as ventricular septal defect (VSD), a common heart defect that is present at birth. The heart has to work harder than normal as a result of the oxygen-rich blood pumping into the lungs instead of to the rest of the body.
“Oh Lord, it’s very, very hard. It takes a toll on me,” Williams said, adding that she has also had to visit the doctor as she has been losing weight.
The worried mother said that the situation is also affecting her mentally. She sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night to check if Jahari is still alive.
Based on her own research on the condition, Williams believes that her son will have a better chance of a full life if the surgery is performed sooner rather than later because the longer he goes without it, the weaker he will get.
Poor appetite, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, and easily tiring are all possible symptoms of this illness.
But Williams highlighted that Jahari’s absence of hunger is one of her biggest challenges.
“He’s up, but he’s not putting on any weight and when it comes on to the feeding, [that] part is really, really challenging ... . I don’t even know when he’s hungry, so I have to use a syringe and feed him with the milk and I have to like entertain him – kind of distract him a bit – and give him the milk little by little,” she told The Gleaner.
Williams disclosed that she also has to chew solid food before feeding it to him, adding that she is unable to recognise when he is hungry as he shows no signs of hunger.
She has had to note the times that he has eaten to know when he will be in need of another meal.
Jahari’s cardiac catheterisation procedure will cost about US$17,000 (J$2.6 million), with additional expenses that will total a staggering US$19,000 (J$2.92 million).
The procedure will have to be done at the William Soler Pediatric Cardio Centre in Cuba, as there is a long waiting list at the local Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston.
Williams, a teacher by profession, admitted that it has been a significant challenge trying to find the funds as she also has to care for her other children and overall family.
“Even though I’m working, it’s challenging,” she said.
She is appealing for assistance by the general public.
How you can help
Those who are willing to help young Jahari can contact Tanya Williams via telephone at 876-824-8786.
A deposit can also be made to the savings account in the name of Tanya Williams at the National Commercial Bank’s Lucea branch: A/C #754141646.
A donation can also be made through a GoFundMe account at https://gofund.me/bc49b72a.