Woman hobbled by knee injury needs surgery

After injuring her leg in January while running for her life, Sashanie Taylor visited multiple hospitals and saw various doctors seeking a diagnosis, but was told by all of them she was fine.

Still, with each day that passed, the pain became agonising. Weeks later, it became impossible for the 34-year-old security guard to stand, much less work. But two weeks ago, she was finally diagnosed with fluid buildup in her knee, as well as a torn ACL and meniscus. She was also told that she needs to purchase medical equipment, which costs $775,530.33, and do a surgery that costs $262,038, money she does not have.

Taylor injured her right knee after leaving a friend's nine-night in Gordon Town, St Andrew. An argument with a man escalated, and moments later he approached her with a knife. She ran, but fell down a flight of stairs. She told THE STAR that she heard a loud 'pop' coming from her knee and could not stand. She called the police, who rushed her to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). An X-ray was ordered, and 12 hours later she saw an orthopaedic surgeon, who told her nothing was broken.

"He said to me if I'm not walking in two days' time I should visit my nearest health centre or I should go to the hospital," Taylor said. The pain worsened over the two days.

"I couldn't even put down the foot on the ground, due to how I was in pain," Taylor said. This led her to the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), where she did another X-ray and again was told nothing was broken. She was given an injection for the pain and prescribed pain medication. But they did not work, so she returned to the KPH.

Tests were ordered and blood was drawn. After a few hours, another doctor told her that the blood in the leg was clotting. Taylor was admitted for three days and given pain medication and an injection to break down the blood clot. An ultrasound followed, and she said the doctor told her all was well and she could go home. But three days later the pain returned, and the warm water and salt the doctor recommended only eased it temporarily. She purchased crutches to help her move around and requested a referral to do an MRI.

"I got the results on the 13th of March and I bring the results to my health centre in Llandewey (St Thomas) and ask the doctor to explain it to me. He didn't tell me if I had to do surgery or anything like that. He told me there was no broken bones and I have nothing to worry about."

However, Taylor was worried because the pain grew more intense daily. One day while washing dishes, she lost her balance and could not stand. Her elderly grandmother and 11-year-old son had to assist and care for her. After days of immobility, Taylor and her family arranged for her to be taken to another hospital.

"I went to the Princess Margret Hospital and I tell them what's happening to me. I even walk with my MRI report and I showed it to every nurse and every doctor that I saw. The last doctor that I saw said to me I have to do surgery and this is not nothing to sit on. She was the only doctor that explained what was on that MRI paper," Taylor said.

"She said there was fluid in the knee, she said there was more than one tear ligament. She said the ligament in the front, back and the side is torn but the one in the front more torn up than the rest of them, and that's when I started to fret." After getting a referral, she returned to the UHWI, where the surgeon confirmed that she needed surgery.

Taylor is worried as she not been able to work for the past three months, and has her son to care for.

"I would really appreciate if someone out there would render me some assistance to get the surgery done, because it's been really unbearable with my foot and it's very stressful, very depressing, and I would really like to go back to work very soon," she said.

Anyone able to assist Sashanie Taylor can donate to her GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/0929a6a1 or her JMMB accou nt, JMD EzAccess No. 000300228388.