Funds raised for Daryl

At Newsday’s office yesterday, Daryl’s mother Annette St Cyr presented a cheque for $3,336.50 to Sylvia Sealy, mother of 23-year-old Crystal Sealy, and Geraldine Frederick presented a cheque for the same sum to Leela Persad, mother of 33-year-old Dhanraj Persad.

The money came from a fundraising Creole lunch which Frederick, a friend of St Cyr, hosted to raise money for Daryl. Although 27-year-old Daryl died, Frederick still went ahead with the event.

St Cyr said, “She came up with the suggestion that we can still do it for other patients.”

Frederick was humble about the effort and said she would do it all again.

Leela Persad is grateful for the assistance for her son. He is currently hospitalised at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.

“Annette has been helping. She showed me where to go and what to do. She has been a great help to me and I am thankful. She has taught me to put my faith in the lord and hope for the best.”

Dhanraj, of Marajh Hill, Sangre Grande, has been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver of unknown cause. This has led to end-stage liver disease which cannot be reversed or treated. Liver transplantation is his only option.

This would involve removing a portion of liver from an adult of the same blood type and implanting it into Dhanraj after his diseased liver is removed. The cost of surgery in Argentina has been estimated at US$90,000.

Persad told Newsday Dhanraj has began vomiting blood last October and tests detected cirrhosis.

“The doctor has given the liver a two-year life span and one year has gone already.”

She said it is hard to watch her son’s health deteriorate. Persad said Dhanraj loved the outdoors especially going camping and fishing. He has been on extended sick-leave from his job at Amalgamated Security.

Two accounts have been established for Dhanraj — account number 0217152230 at RBTT, and account number 161035 at the Hindu Credit Union.