Hope fades as girl slips into coma

It was first suspected that Grant, a Standard Three pupil, had contracted meningococcal meningitis after she complained of stomach pains, high fever and vomiting. She was admitted to Ward 14 of the SFGH on June 10 and when her condition worsened she was transferred to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.

However, on Friday, Medical Chief of Staff Dr Austin Trinidade issued an official statement saying that Grant is not a victim of the deadly disease.

"The child who is ill and being looked after in the ICU does not have meningococcal meningitis," he explained A doctor told Sunday Newsday, that Grant’s kidneys had collapsed. "On Friday evening late the child slipped into a coma. Her lungs and liver have failed and currently she is hooked up to a ventilator, which is breathing for her. There is also a bit of brain damage," the doctor revealed.

According to the doctor, the prognosis is grim and "hope is fading away slowly". "She is deteriorating and up to now we haven’t diagnosed what is wrong with her. Further tests are being carried out and the results are expected in a few days’ time," he said When contacted, Grant’s distraught stepfather Glen said prayers are being fervently said on behalf of the child.

"When I went to see her in ICU . . . her face was looking bright. We are praying for a miracle," he told Sunday Newsday.

The child’s mother, Joanne Joseph, was unavailable for a comment. Grant, of Hummingbird Avenue, Duncan Village in La Romaine, is her mother’s only child.