Over $1.4 million raised for Jamaari’s treatment
OVER $1.4 million has been raised for young Jamaari Smith so far, following last Sunday’s emotional story about his journey with pyoderma gangrenosum.
The five-year-old was diagnosed with the rare skin disease in June 2022 — a condition that causes large, painful sores to develop on the skin, most often the legs.
“The love I am feeling from everybody is just plain awesome and wonderful. I am speechless. For me, it’s not just the donations; it’s the fact that good-hearted people still exist in Jamaica. People who don’t know me, know nothing of Jamaari, they only know that he’s sick and battling this rare phenomenon of a disease, and it’s just wonderful to know that people are out there who genuinely care,” Jamaari’s mother, Tameka Rowe-smith told the Jamaica Observer.
“I didn’t expect this magnitude of support at all and we are truly grateful to everyone who has reached out and offered a helping hand, whether in cash or kind,” she added.
Jamaari was hospitalised for six months between Savannala-mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland, Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James, and the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in Kingston. He was also placed on morphine for pain management.
During that time Jamaari received four blood transfusions and spent five days incubated and on life support.
On Jamaari’s Gofundme account alone, almost US$5,000 has been raised to assist with his treatment at NYU Langone in New York, an institution that displayed an interest in his case.
Rowe-smith reached out to the institution as she hopes to have her son’s skin condition “corrected”.
“I had a total of $29,000 in my Scotia account on Sunday evening and about 11:00 pm after I finished reading the article in the Sunday Observer, I decided to check the account. I was dumbstruck by the amount I saw,” she said.
“I started scrolling through the donations and I saw two particular ones that got me so emotional. I instantly cried. There was one for $150 and the other for $500. They touched me because these persons obviously don’t have it, but they felt the need to help. Probably that’s all they could afford. I would like to tell everyone that has donated or is planning to donate, thanks so much. We are tremendously overjoyed and grateful to see the help Jamaari is receiving,” Rowe-smith told the Sunday Observer.
On November 17, 2022
Jamaari was discharged from UHWI without any sores on his body, but was left with 75 to 80 per cent of his body covered by scars. A month later, he had a flare-up and the sores started reappearing on his skin. He was re-admitted at Savanna-la-mar Hospital for two weeks.
Doctors discovered that along with the return of the ulcers, he also had a low oxygen saturation level.
Upon doing a chest CT scan, the doctors realised that half of one of his lung was not functioning at full capacity. They had put him on oxygen therapy and incorporated breathing exercises to encourage the lungs to function properly.
When Rowe-smith spoke to the Sunday Observer last Friday she was busy trying to get him to the hospital.
“Jamaari is not well at the moment. Right now he has new pustules coming up on his skin and we are taking him to the University Hospital of the West Indies to see the dermatology team,” she said, distressed.
“We don’t know why he continues to have flares unexpectedly. We can only pray for a breakthrough in his case. I am asking all spiritual leaders to lift the doctors up in prayer so they will have the knowledge and wisdom that is needed to help Jamaari.”
Anyone who wants to make a donation can do so at: https://gofund.me/ee29a3e7
Scotia savings account details:
First name: Tameka
Last name: Rowe
Branch: Savannah-la-mar
Transit #: 00265
Account #: 00265 000100905
Currency: JMD