Hope shattered by heartbreak - Ailing 5-y-o dies despite getting bone marrow transplant in India

For months, Kwician Baldin fought relentlessly to save her five-year-old daughter, Kenecia Wisdom, who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2023. She created GoFundMe accounts, reached out to every avenue for help, and endured exhausting 15-hour flights to India in pursuit of the life-saving bone marrow transplant that she believed would give Wisdom a second chance.

Despite all her efforts and the hope that flickered after the procedure, the vibrant and smart girl she fought so hard for is now gone.

Wisdom died on February 18, one month after the procedure which was done at one of the best multi-speciality private hospitals in India provided her family with much hope.

"I thought everything was going well," Baldin told THE WEEKEND STAR from Bangalore, India where Wisdom underwent her transplant. "Bwoii, all now it come like mi still inna shock because everything went well. She did the transplant and was going on well. When she reached day 21, everything started to fall apart. She was really doing okay."

Wisdom's procedure was done at Narayana Health City in Bangalore on January 16 and things seemed promising. She was walking around and showing signs of recovery. Then the unthinkable happened.

"They started to see that her pressure was going low," Baldin recalled. "Each day, it kept going lower. She started having diarrhoea and vomiting. So they started to do blood culture and stuff like that, to see what was causing it. They said they had to put her on oxygen because her pressure was too low. And her heart rate was very high."

Doctors worked tirelessly to stabilise her, moving her to the ICU for closer monitoring. Tests revealed inflammation in her blood and a developing infection in her stomach. Despite aggressive treatment, Wisdom's tiny body could not hold on.

"The pressure went so low that it started giving her poor blood circulation. And it caused the kidney to start to fail. She stopped passing urine, and that was it," said Baldin. Through it all, Baldin remained by her daughter's side, ensuring she felt love in every moment.

"I did everything I could. I spent all the time I could with her and ensured she was happy through it all." Now, instead of bringing Wisdom's home to Jamaica full of life, Baldin is faced with the painful reality of bringing back her remains. The Ministry of Health and Wellness has stepped in to cover the costs of the child's return.

"They are the ones that paid the money for her to do the procedure, and they are the ones paying the money for her to go back home," said Baldin. Grief-stricken and in shock, she has yet to fully process her loss.

"I don't cry as yet. I don't know why. It's like my body [is] in a shock. But her father is not keeping up well."

Wisdom's school, Islington Primary School, is honouring her memory, with students and teachers dressed in pink to celebrate the life of a little girl gone too soon.

"I was really looking forward to her coming home," Baldin said softly. Despite the sad end, she has nothing but praise for the hospital and the staff who fought just as hard for Wisdom's life.

"I will recommend anybody to go to the hospital, I swear. They did everything there for my daughter. Narayana Health City, they did everything there. If they could have cut her and take out all her organs and put them in back, them do that. That was all left for them to do. But, mi a tell you, dem try," said Baldin.

This weekend, Baldin will return to Jamaica, carrying the weight of a mother's worst nightmare, but also the love and memories of a little girl who fought bravely. She will lay her daughter to rest knowing that she did everything a mother could do.

"Mi nuh finish," she said. "Mi carrying her back home."