NCB Foundation grants wish for ailing Wolmer’s student, mom
Published:Tuesday | December 17, 2024 | 12:07 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Charlotte Nembhard’s face lit up with joy as she received a $200,000 cheque from the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation, a contribution under its Grant a Wish programme to help cover her 16-year-old son’s medical expenses for renal failure.
“It means a lot to see that I don’t have to bear all of this by myself anymore,” an appreciative Nembhard stated.
Last week, The Sunday Gleaner shared the story of the 36-year-old single mother, and her decision to offer one of her kidneys to her son, Carl Blake, who was born with kidney disease.
Despite already accumulating over $1.4 million in medical debt and knowing that a kidney transplant would be costly, she was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice out of love.
She was in the process of doing blood tests to determine if she is a match for a kidney transplant, and noted that the contribution from NCB Foundation would assist with this.
“I feel really good. I am so happy I can get to do all the tests that I need to get done to know if I am a match for Carl, and I don’t have to worry about not getting his medication, or taking him back to UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) for an emergency and don’t have money to pay or anything like that,” she said.
During Monday’s handover ceremony, Belinda Williams, head of corporate affairs and foundation at NCB, highlighted that the Grant A Wish programme is celebrating its 12th year and will be fulfilling wishes totalling $15 million this year.
This year’s programme grants wishes from five categories – registered charities, community heroes, persons with disabilities, medical assistance, and an open category to support individuals and causes that may not fall within the other categories but still merit recognition.
“It gives you such an appreciation and it warms your heart, which is what the spirit of Christmas is all about. And that’s why we say, let it shine, it’s about that love that is supposed to be populating and we want that love to permeate and shine continuously,” Williams told The Gleaner.
Blake and his mother were nominated for the grant by The Gleaner.
Sandra Clue, manager of advertising and commercial services, noted that their story is an inspiration.
As Blake’s primary caregiver, Nembhard, who previously ran a shop, has been unable to work due to her demanding role. She sometimes has had to travel with her son from their home in Spanish Town, St Catherine, to the UHWI in St Andrew for dialysis three times a week for the last two years.
Each session costs $7,500 and lasts four hours, adding to their emotional and financial toll.
She noted that her son, a fifth-form student at Wolmer’s Boys’ School, is cognisant of the high cost of his healthcare, and the financial burden on his family as a result.
“My heart was so sad because, to see him worrying about certain stuff that I am supposed to worry about, it really breaks my heart,” she said.
MORE ASSISTANCE
The mother of two shared that, since publication of the article, Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation has offered further assistance and cleared the dialysis treatment debt of approximately $90,000.
In the meantime, the NCB Foundation also granted a wish valuing $250,000 to Yvonne Gayle, principal of the Villa Park Early Childhood Centre in St Catherine on Monday.
She told The Gleaner that the funds will be used to purchase more computers and a television for her more than 80 students.
“I am very grateful. I thank God for the opportunity where our school could be recognised on receiving such a gift. It means a lot for me, it will enhance the teaching learning area of the school, expose my children to technology outside of the tablets that they just toy-toy with,” she said.
Her school, which has been in operation for 29 years, was nominated by NCB Foundation Director Kenia Mattis because of the positive impact it has had in the community.
“She has really created an oasis for her children, and she also has [children] teaching at a very tender age, using tablets and using computers to show them how to properly use those devices I think is very important,” Mattis said.