Man drowns days before mom’s birthday

Sandra Fisher was hoping to spend her 57th birthday with all her nine children together for the first time.

However, it turns out that the January 11 celebration that she has been planning will not only be cancelled, but one child will forever be missing around this special time.

Thursday morning, her sixth child, 23-year-old Demar Lewis, in anticipation of his mother's birthday bash, went to a beach close to his home in Amity Hall, Golden Grove, St Thomas; he did not make it back home.

Reports are that sometime after 8:30 a.m, Lewis and two other men went fishing when he got into difficulties and drowned. The Golden Grove police are investigating

"Him and my other cousin go to the beach to catch fish because we a plan to cook some food and stuff. Me tell my children say is me and them going to enjoy this birthday," Fisher told THE WEEKEND STAR. "Me have a son that play music so I said I would let him play some tune on the laptop. Me all pay for the cake already and one of my other son was going to buy me the ice cream." She added: "God know me never a expect this. Right now me just have to a take time and bear it." The grieving mother said she heard Lewis borrowed somebody's fins to go fishing.

Feels like a nightmare

"But him couldn't manage with it, so it look like that is how him get into difficulties and drown," she said. "Right now this feels like a nightmare to me. It is not easy to lose a child. All him father can't stop cry because they were like best friends and make it worse he is in Canada right now."

Fisher remembered Lewis as a jovial and dependable person, not only to family members but members of his rural community.

"He was very willing. If you tell him to do anything you can depend on him and him just friendly. Anybody in the district can take him and ask him to do anything and that boy nah refuse," she said. "He was the one to always be around me too. Even in the morning time when me take up me handbag to go work you hear him 'Mommy you cyah give me a money'."

Disheartened Fisher said 2021 has started out in the worst possible way for her family as the tears and mourning, especially from Lewis's siblings, is unbearable.

"One of my daughters drop down because she not talking it well. My other sons them just shock and still can't believe. Even my younger sister just a bawl, so she a break me down all the while," she wept. "Me have nine a them and one gone. Me never know say a so soon him would leave me. Right now this year can't get any worse I just don't understand."