Mom hopes daughter can get eye surgery

Nickesha Hector is clinging to a thread of hope that her 11-year-old daughter will undergo eye surgery before she goes blind.

Her daughter, Lhateecha Hemmings, was diagnosed with cataracts five years ago, and was expected to do corrective surgery at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in 2018.

But Hector alleges that on her recent visit to the hospital on February 5, doctors told her they will not proceed with the surgery because there is a lack of equipment.

"She was supposed to get her surgery but they keep putting it off. Her condition is getting worse. When I go to the hospital, they are not looking at her eye so I don't know how she is progressing. She cannot see anything at all right now and it is very hard on me," Hector said. "When I asked about the surgery, they told me the equipment not working and all sort of something. So, I asked them why them make me buy the corrected lens from so long and now it expired, it cannot be used again. Them ago say to me that the surgery is not an emergency. But I went to a doctor before going to Bustamante (and) he said that it needs to be done urgently because the longer it takes to be corrected, the cataracts get worse," she said.

going blind

The mother of three said that the thought of her daughter possibly going blind has caused her emotional turmoil.

"I get serious anxiety when I think about it because I wonder if my other children have eye problems or if I have eye issues too. It makes me feel scared and I worry a lot," she said tearfully.

The 33-year-old said she stopped working at the HEART NSTA Trust Beauty Institute to assist her child with online school.

"She has a tablet right now, but she cannot see anything. So, I have to be there all the time helping her. I need to get a visual aid so she can understand what is happening at school," the Three Miles, St Andrew resident said.

THE STAR has contacted the Bustamante Hospital for Children seeking a response to Hector's claim, but up to press time, none was forthcoming. In the meantime, Hector said she is exploring the options of seeking medical attention overseas.