Teen in coma after motorcycle crash

Rosemarie Cope is a broken woman. She has not eaten or slept much since Sunday when her 14-year-old son, Kevontae Chen, was hospitalised due to a motor vehicle crash.

The young teen is currently fighting for his life at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), and the distraught mother is seeking the public's assistance in securing $2 million to have him transferred to an intensive care unit (ICU) at a private facility.

"The doctors are doing everything they can, and they have even offered to do a tracheostomy to assist with his breathing, but they are uncertain how much longer he will survive without the help of an ICU bed. They said that all ICUs are filled at the public facilities so I have to do it privately, but I don't have that kind of money, so I am asking for some assistance no matter how small it is," she said.

Cope, who hails from Dumfries in St James, said she was surprised when she got a phone call from someone who told her that her son was involved in an accident.

"I was tidying up the house so I gave him some sheet to pin out on the line. Honestly, I don't know when him leave," she said. Cope said that from what she was told, Kevontae was driving the motorcycle when he lost control and fell, and the bike landed on him.

Following the crash, the teen was taken to the Falmouth Hospital and later transferred to the CRH in St James. Cope said the doctors gave her the devastating news that her son had a serious head injury, a broken hip and was in a coma. She was also told that her son had severe breathing issues and needs to be in intensive care.

"I checked Baywest Hospital in Rose Hall, but they will need a down payment of $2 million. They said they may be able to keep him for about two weeks on ICU, but the fees will keep rising as the $2 million is just a down payment. I am really stressed out right now because I don't want anything bad to happen to my son. He says he wants to become a soldier and I want him to achieve his dream," she said.

Rosemarie Cope may be contacted via telephone at (876) 846-9738.