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‘Pray for Alecia’ - Teen burn victim flown to the US for treatment
August 30, 2023
The nation was yesterday asked to pray for Alecia King, the teen who was doused with gasolene and set ablaze while she slept at a relative's house in Redwood, St Catherine, last Thursday.
King, 17, was last evening airlifted to Shriners Burns Centre in Texas, USA, for life-saving treatment.
"Alecia King is battling for her life," said Robert White, managing director for Sanmerna Foundation, which spearheaded efforts to have the teen flown to the specialist facility overseas.
"We ask the nation for their prayer. We ask everyone to just take a time out and pray for her," White said.
The teenager, who lives in Time and Patience, Linstead, St Catherine, is said to have sustained burns to 60 per cent of her body. Her ex-boyfriend, 18-year-old Antwone Grey, has been listed as a person of interest by the police.
In a GoFundMe campaign launched for Alecia, her sister, Shauna-Kaye King, said, "Before this tragic event, Alecia was a vivacious and happy young woman. Her smile radiated positivity, and her future was promising. It's heart-wrenching to witness such a vibrant life altered by an act of cruelty".
Alecia's brother Demar King, who witnessed the send-off at the Norman Manley International Airport said, "Seeing the critical state that she is in, I am sure she is in good hands."
"I am happy that this was able to get done and I would like to say thank you for Sanmerna for making this possible. The situation required rapid action and that was definitely executed," he said.
"Alecia is a sweet girl and when she is around you, you feel at peace. She is always mannerable and for something like this to happen to her is very sad. On the day when she was supposed to collect her CXC results, that was the day she got burnt," he added.
Another of King's relatives said she is breathing a huge sigh of relief.
"We are grateful that she is getting a chance to go overseas and I am just praying that things will all work out. This may be the start of a long journey, but I am praying and keeping my fingers crossed," she said.
