‘My dad has no legs but he is my hero’

In spite of the fact that 62-year-old Sylvester Irving has no legs, to his 15-year-old daughter, Sabrina, he is her greatest hero and mentor. Every day she ensures that he knows this, but she intends to make Father’s Day extra special for the man who has always been a part of her life and makes tremendous sacrifices to provide for her.

Irving, a double-amputee because of diabetes, does not let his disability hinder him from working very hard on his farm in Mount George in Yallahs, St Thomas, his daughter said.

“My dad gets up very early in the mornings, prays and then heads for his farm where he first takes care of the chickens and then tends to his crops,” Sabrina shared with The Sunday Gleaner last week.

“It is not easy for him to move around but my dad is always saying ‘where there is a will, there is a way’, and I really admire his determination.”

Her greatest wish is that she could present him with a prosthetic leg for Father’s Day.

Irving has one prosthetic leg and needs another but he does not have the funds to purchase it.

“I wish I could afford to give him the other prosthetic leg so he can balance himself better when he is working on his farm,” she said.

“But I can’t, so I pray every day that someone will help my dad to get that well-needed prosthetic left leg because it would be of tremendous help to him.”

Since the day she was born, Irving has worked hard to ensure that his youngest child was never in need and that she would achieve her God-given potential. Sabrina spends her time between both parents’ homes, who live in the same community but are not in a relationship. However, she tends to be by her father more often, she said. He is also her main provider.

“When I see how my dad is struggling and working so hard to help me and gives me $1,000 daily for bus fare and lunch money to go to school, sometimes I cry and say I have to study hard and get a profession so I can help my dad,” Sabrina said.

“Although I can’t give him the prosthetic leg, I saved some of my lunch money and bought a special gift for him and I can’t wait to see the smile on his face when I present him with the gift on Father’s Day.”

LEGS AMPUTATED TWO YEARS APART

From 1994, Irving, who is a diabetic, had been working with the farm work programme, travelling to the United States each year with the hope of making a better life for his children.

In 2019, his right leg became infected and had to be amputated, but he was able to get a prosthetic leg.

When he informed the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of his disability, Irving said he was advised that he was still young so he could still be a part of the farm work programme.

“I heeded the advice and went on the programme in 2021, but while working on a farm in Pennsylvania, I got a little sore on my big toe. I went to a pharmacy and got medication to rub on it but it was just not getting better,” he recounted to The Sunday Gleaner.

“I told the boss about the situation and she sent me to a hospital where the toe was amputated because it was badly infected. The wound was not healing and I was transferred to another hospital where my left leg was amputated on October 10, 2021. When I was discharged from hospital a month later, I came back home to Jamaica.”

With a teenage daughter depending on him, Irving was determined that he was not going to be handicapped by his disability. His other children were now grown adults and providing for themselves.

Irving applied for early pension but he said, “all I get is $7,300 on the 15th of every month and that can’t even go to the supermarket”.

He started farming on his land, first with rearing chickens then planting a few crops.

“The profit is small and chicken feed is expensive but I am hoping for the best. And the chicken coop is not very safe because I don’t have the material to build a proper coop, so sometimes the cats get in there and eat the chickens,” he said.

Irving, who lives on a hill, said it is “with the help of God and I use some unusual skills”, which allow him to farm his land.

“I build two things like a hassock and use them to sit on and move myself around. When I am looking after the chickens and planting or reaping crops, I sit on one of the seats and put one in front of me, then I sit on the one in front and then put the other one in front. I keep using that method to move forward until I complete my task,” he explained.

“When I get orders for my chickens, a friend helps me to kill and clean them so I can fill the orders.”

Irving admits that sometimes he feels depressed and helpless when he cannot move around the way he would like.

“If only I could find the money to buy the other prosthetic leg because it would help me move around much better. It costs $570,000, which is a real handicap for me because I don’t have the money to purchase it,” he lamented.

Still, heartened by how well Sabrina is doing in her classes at Seaforth High School in St Thomas, he is determined to push on for her sake.

“I just want to say from the bottom of my heart that my dad is my hero and mentor and I really love him and appreciate all that he is doing for me,” Sabrina shared with pride and a broad smile.

“Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers who, like my dad, play important roles in the lives of their children,” she said.

“I also want to encourage those fathers who are not playing their role to face their responsibilities and help make the world a better place for their children.”

If anyone is willing to help Irving, he can be contacted at 876-456-3302.

ediitorial@gleanerjm.com