Jamaica: Wheelchair-bound man with no arms robbed
(Jamaica Observer) Christmas — the time of giving — has turned into one of loss for Patrick Delroy Thomas, a man without arms, whose roadside electronics were stolen last week.
This happened to a man who virtually, has nothing, as he lost both arms in a freak accident five years ago and now lives on the street.
Thomas, 33, was dealt a hard blow in 2013 when a metal rod he was using to pick ackees to sell in order to make a living touched an exposed electrical line. He was electrocuted, lost both his arms and was crippled. His family thereafter refused to take care of him, and so now he lives from his wheelchair on the sidewalks of Papine, St Andrew, where he begs money in order to survive. This was where the Jamaica Observer first met Thomas last Tuesday morning, when he explained that the night before he was robbed of his portable TV and cellular phone. “Mi mad ’bout mi portable [TV] because a it mi use ‘pon roadside and watch TV, because mi nuh have nuhbody yaad fi guh watch TV again. Mi hustle and mi been buying mi tings, but mi a beg mi money and people a tief mi. Mi buy mi music box, mi buy mi phone, dem tief it. Mi buy mi portable TV fi watch ‘pon roadside fi mi comfort and dem tief it. More time mi save money and dem tief it,” Thomas said.
He explained that although he has these setbacks, he takes pride in being able to ‘earn’ his bread.
“Mi try guh beg money a stoplight fi do mi own a ting, hustle fi miself, occupy miself and be mi own a man. Mi check people a stoplight and dem gi mi a ting. Mi still do mi likkle clothes shopping, guh clothes store and buy mi clothes same way, pick and choose weh mi want.
“But it kinda rough, enuh. Mi nuh have nuh hand fi work or go hustle and do mi ting, but a di same challenges like when mi did have mi hand dem, but mi still a try heng on.
“Mi have mi mother and mi father, and mi sister dem, but dem nuh show mi nuh appreciation [love] so dat mek it rough too enuh,” Thomas said.
He also has to pay someone, anyone, mostly men and a woman, to look after him: to push him around in his wheelchair, buy his food, feed him, bathe him, clean him, etc.