A West Berbice man who has lost his sight is seeking the assistance of the public to offset expenses for corrective surgery to his eyes.
Jonathan Rozario, 28, of Kingelly Village, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), who lives alone, went partially blind in 2018 but lost sight in both of his eyes in February.
He is currently seeking assistance for medical treatment which is currently not available in Guyana. The surgery is available in Colombia at a cost of US$52,000.
Rozario was initially diagnosed in 2018 with progressive loss of vision to the right eye. Over a one-year period, he was referred to ophthalmology for further management.
A medical report stated that a previous MRI was done in February 2020. The updated MRI showed a mild increase in lesion size and encasement of optic nerves. It also showed an internal carotid artery with involvement of the right cavernous sinus to the right eye.
Rozario has since been provided with an invoice indicating the cost and terms of payment.
According to the father of two, he visited the Health Ministry seeking assistance and was promised US$5000 but he is seeking to raise an additional US$52,000.
“I don’t have any more funds so I have to seek who can assist me.”
While no deadline has been given as to how early the surgery can be done, Rozario said he was assured that he will have full vision restored after the operation.
The young man said he cannot work so as to earn and survives on public assistance provided by the Government, which he began to receive in April.
Additionally, he cultivates plantain but his income cannot allow him to save for the needed surgery.
He has since set up an account at Demerara Bank for anyone who wants to assist.
The account number is 1021260-800. Additionally, Rozario can be contacted on telephone numbers 636-2645 and 694-0961.
