Anthony Shakespare is a 5-year-old from Jamaica. At this point in his life, his priorities should be playing, watching cartoons and trying to get his father to buy him toys and candy.
Unfortunately, Anthony is growing up faster than his peers. He needs emergency treatment for Upper GI Bleed (Gastrointestinal Stomach and Intestines). Anthony's mother died one year ago at the age of 26, leaving behind his distraught father to care for him and his three-year-old brother. His grandmother is unemployed and heartbroken over her family's problems.
Wendy Allison Nedd is a 14-year-old from Guyana. She should be enjoying school and her teenage years, but Wendy has other concerns in her life at the moment. She has a congenital deformity of the right nostril and desperately needs nasal reconstructive surgery. Given the CA$11,463 cost, the chances of her receiving the surgery were grim.
The Caribbean Children's Foundation (CCF), a registered charity founded five years ago by a group of 10 people, has undertaken to pay the full cost of surgery for both Anthony and Wendy.
The group first came together when they paid for a surgical procedure for a little girl from the Caribbean suffering from cancer. Inspired by this, they dedicated themselves to helping West Indian children, like Anthony and Wendy, by paying the full costs of their medical procedures. And the CCF was established.
The foundation is also paying for another child, Venood Ramkeshur, who will undergo Modified Ross Procedure plus VSD Closure to repair a hole in his heart.
"Most of the patients have tumors and heart and urinal tract problems. This foundation was chosen to help children from different countries: race, colour, or creed makes no difference," said Vidyia Persaud, Vice President of the CCF. Over the past five years, the CCF has assisted 30 children from various Caribbean countries to get access to specialized surgery in Canada, with amounts totaling over half a million dollars. Most of the procedures are performed at Sick Kids Hospital.
Although it sometimes seems that the CCF is comprised of guardian angels, Persaud feels she is only doing what is right. "I believe a child is just a human being, and we must help our fellow beings," she said.
September 24 is the fifth anniversary of the foundation. This will be commemorated by a dinner and dance at Elite Banquet Hall, 1850 Albion Road at 6 p.m. The CCF hopes to raise some of the $55,000 it needs to cover the costs of Anthony, Wendy and Venood's procedures. Tickets are $40 each.
The CCF welcomes donations, which can be lodged at the TD Bank, branch number 1550, account number 305003.
For more information, please call 416-493-3959.