Police constable fighting for her life - Needs urgent liver transplant

Twenty-six-year-old Police Constable Donique Anderson is living on hope and prayer as she desperately needs a liver transplant, without which, doctors have told her, she is on borrowed time.

Speaking from her bed at the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny, Anderson said she sometimes cries when she thinks about her condition and the uncertainty of making it from one day to the next.

"The doctor is saying that it (the liver) can fail me at any time. I cry sometimes when I think about it, if I don't get this done. I don't know what's going to happen," she said, sharing that she is worried, and wondering if help will come in time. In 2018, Anderson found out that she had a liver problem after she began her training to become a police constable.

"I was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, which meant my liver was not functioning properly, as my immune system was attacking my liver. I spent several weeks in Falmouth Hospital, and then recuperated for several more months," she said.

Anderson said that after her diagnosis, she left the training school, but through prayer, determination and medical treatment, she returned to complete her training as the only female in her batch. She even earned an award for the highest marks. Anderson was also being treated at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). But last year, during one of her visits, she was told she had liver cirrhosis, scarring of the liver caused by long-term damage. She battled on, working and receiving treatment. But this year, things took a turn for the worst.

"In August of 2022, my abdomen and feet got swollen. I began experiencing excruciating pain in my abdomen, and was therefore hospitalised briefly," she said. She was again treated at Falmouth Hospital, doing tests in the process. Anderson, who is based at the Four Paths Police Station in Clarendon, pushed herself to return to work, but took ill days before her vacation, which was scheduled to start on September 18.

"The final day at work before my vacation, I felt completely ill. My eyes were yellow and I had pain in my tummy," she explained. Having no family in Clarendon, Anderson told her co-workers to transport her to home in Deeside, Trelawny, and received more treatment at Falmouth Hospital. But after more testing at the UHWI, doctors informed her that her liver was failing.

"I am now being told my only chance of surviving is a liver transplant, as my liver can fail at any time," she said, sharing that she has no idea what the cost of the surgery will be, as she must first find a doctor who can perform it in the US. But before that, she needs a donor who can give a part of their liver. Her blood type is B-positive.

"I also need to get a US visa," she said, her voice fading as she tried to speak through the pain and weakness. Throughout her challenges and struggles, Anderson is giving thanks for her Clarendon 'squaddies', who have been rallying around her, giving what they can, and encouraging and supporting her in whatever way they can. She feels blessed that she has them as her cheering squad.

A US$1-million (approximately $154 million) GoFundMe account has been set up to offset the cost of her getting the visa, finding a hospital, and all the associated expenses that will come with it. Up to yesterday, just over US$11,000 (approximately $1.6 million) had been donated.

"This GoFundMe is my only hope of affording a liver transplant. I'm undergoing treatment, so I am asking you all to help me reach this goal," Anderson pleaded.

She is also asking for the public's understanding and is encouraging those who will reach out to her to do so by text as sometimes she is too weak to talk. Long conversations are taxing, as she experiences shortness of breath," she explained.

Those wishing to assist may contact Donique Anderson at 876-775-8988; WhatsApp 876-275-7533; her mother, Gem Donald, 876-898-9395. Or donate to the GoFundMe link at: https://gofund.me/067ed304