CAMILLE BOOTHE NEEDS HELP, OR SHE’LL DIE
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
FOUR months ago Camille Boothe was a robust netball player. The 29-year-old was employed and had great plans for her future, including furthering her studies.
Then one day early in September her dreams were shattered, as she was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia, a rare disorder that will take her life if she’s unable to get treatment abroad.
Boothe’s sister, Maureen Brown, explained that Boothe suddenly fell ill as they attended a funeral in rural Jamaica.
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“We were walking down a hill and she said she was tired and couldn’t walk, and while at the funeral her foot started to swell and so we had to lift her up,” Brown recalled.
She said they went to the doctor the next day to find out what was causing the shortness of breath and got the worst news ever.
“The doctor said she was supposed to be dead because her blood count was at two instead of 12,” Brown told the Observer, adding that there was no prior indication that her sister was so gravely ill.
Aplastic anaemia results from a failure of the bone marrow to produce sufficient blood cells for circulation. The upshot is a lack of red cells (anaemia), white cells (leading to an increased risk of infection) and platelets (which are needed to prevent bleeding and bruising).
With each day, Boothe is becoming considerably worse, as her face and body are constantly swollen with blotchy red spots.
Having been in and out of hospital since September, Boothe must wear a mask to protect her immune system, which is now susceptible to all infections.
“If I don’t get this treatment there won’t be any future for me,” Boothe said, her voice cracking.
“This is a life-threatening thing and so it is a must that I get treatment because I want to go back to work and school,” she told the Observer from her bed at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
Dr June Clarke, resident in haematology at the hospital, said the treatment and follow-up care for Boothe, who is transfusion dependent, is expected to be in the region of US$10,000.
To compound the dilemma, the family said they have been informed by the doctors that the treatment has to be done overseas, as Jamaica does not have the facility to treat this disorder.
The problem though, is that Boothe’s family are unable to come up with the money for the treatment and further care, as Boothe lost her job as a result of having to spend so much time in the hospital.
“She is at the hospital nearly every week …it is like her new home,” said a distraught Brown.
She said that with no available treatment in Jamaica, all the hospital can do is give her sister blood transfusions and platelets to renew her strength.
But even that is no longer working, as Boothe is said to have developed a resistance as her condition worsens.
Brown said family members feel helpless as all they can do is watch their loved one waste away.
“All we can do is to give her our support and try to be there for her and tell her to keep strong,” Brown said.
But Brown, like the rest of her family, is hoping that Boothe will receive some financial assistance so she can get the treatment before it is too late.
She said they will also need additional funding as a relative must accompany her, given that she constantly experiences dizzy spells and as such requires round-the-clock monitoring.
“The doctor says at no time must she be left alone because she could pass out at any moment,” Brown said.
The family has already received confirmation from the National Institute of Health in Maryland, United States that they are in receipt of Boothe’s file and are willing to provide the necessary treatment.
Persons wishing to help this family can make donations at Jamaica National account number 10665008.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT
INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
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