Rotary Club of Downtown Kingston assists Denham Town resident
Published:Friday | October 11, 2019 | 12:23 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
In what seemed to be a twist of fate, Shanika James began her usual quest to visit her sister in central Kingston with the aid of her daughter. The visually impaired mother of three, had found it difficult to cope as she had lost her sight, and at the time, her partner, the breadwinner of the family, was a patient at the Kingston Public Hospital.
Her sister, who was also in dire straits, was unable to help her fill her much-needed prescription and with a sense of despondency, she made the long trek back home to Denham Town in west Kingston.
James first began realising that she had a visual impairment when she became pregnant with her first daughter. Over the last nine years, she completely lost sight in both eyes, and has found it difficult to function effectively in her daily life.
Following examinations, she was diagnosed with cataracts and retinal detachment, which is a disorder of the eye in which the retina separates from the layer underneath.
James, her children and her spouse live in a one-bedroom faculty, in very uncomfortable living conditions. The bed they slept on had deteriorated considerably, and what they had left was a large sponge that served as the main sleeping area.
With assistance from the Rotary Club of Downtown Kingston, led by President Mark Barnett and Service Projects Director Lynval Ramdial, James received a new bedframe, and the donation of two beds, and bed linen and other needed items to the family.
According to Barnett, Rotary is committed to six areas of focus: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, saving mothers and children, supporting education, and growing local economies.
“It was therefore easily decided that the plight of James would fit within our area of focus. The Rotary Club of Downtown Kingston, by assisting, is therefore impacting James and her children’s lives. Furthermore, Shanika is a resident of the Denham Town community, an area that the club focuses its service efforts, and therefore it was natural for us to help a very needy resident of the community,” Barnett said.
An overjoyed James was very appreciative of the kind gesture from the service club. “I have been able to sleep much better now. When the mattresses came, for the first time in years I was able to sleep right through the night. I was so comfortable,” she said.
James, who peddled goods in the Coronation Market prior to her loss of sight, is optimistic that she will regain her sight in the near future. She is set to undergo an eye scan, and following these results, if it is feasible, she will undergo surgery to remove the cataracts, which may eventually see her regain her sight.