Shelly seeks help for Kemoy

Last year’s World 100 metres champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce made an impassioned plea for help for retired distance runner Kemoy Campbell on social media yesterday.

Campbell who collapsed while competing in New York last year, suffered a second heart scare last week while driving in Florida. His heart was shocked back into rhythm by the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) he had embedded after the incident in New York. He is now recovering after having a new ICD implanted but his medical bills are beginning to pile up and he appealed for help in an article published in the March 15 Sunday Gleaner.

In an Instagram post Fraser-Pryce said: … allow me to introduce Kemoy Campbell who is a retired Jamaican athlete, He didn’t retire because he wanted to. He simply had no choice. He has gone through one surgery that depleted his funding and now has a second surgery. So many people see athletes competing without knowing a lot about what goes into the preparation. ... I tell you a lot of athletes are barely getting by. But they represent the black, gold and green with patriotism and pride … We have no idea what sacrifices athletes like Kemoy made to represent our nation. ... Kemoy now needs help and yes, athletes can contribute but how many? ... While we wait for this virus to pass, I pray that after the storm we can all find a way back on our feet. It’s not going to be easy but we will find a way.”