Shaphan Domingo will turn 21 on Saturday. But unlike most 21 year olds, he won't celebrate his birthday in a club or at a party. No, Domingo will be at home. He is one of the forgotten victims of crime who still suffers months after the headlines are gone. He is paralyzed and is being consumed by bedsores. Keith Swift visited Shaphan at his home in Hattieville today and met a young man with nothing left but hope. It's a story that must be told, but we warn you that some of the images in the story may be unsightly to some viewers.
Shaphan Domingo, Paralyzed
"I used to be a person who hangs out a lot, always I was barely home. I was always somewhere with friends, some different parts...I could say it changed me a lot. It has made a big difference in my life."
But that was then. These days Shaphan Domingo has no other choice but to sit at home on his sofa - watching television. That's because the 20 year old is paralyzed from the waist down. His world fell apart on January 27th of this year when he was shot 4 times after an argument.
Shaphan Domingo,
"I just saw him ride up on a bicycle. It looked like he was just walking into the yard to come fight again. But instead he pulled out a gun and started to shoot. The first shot missed and four shots after that I heard I was blacked out."
When Shaphan woke up the next day - he was in the hospital. Amazingly, he was alive but unable to move his legs. That's when he was told - he would never walk again.
Shaphan Domingo,
"According to the doctor at Karl Heusner who was in charge of me, they told me first that if I did the surgery I had a 1% to 2% chance of walking with therapy. That is what the doctors told me first and then little after that, they came back and told me they weren't going to do the surgery and they were going to discharge me."
That was the worst possible news for Shaphan. And while not being able to walk is one thing - the greatest adversity facing this 20 year old right now are bedsores. He has four of them - two on his feet. They are explicit and so we will only show you this one but they are eating away at Shaphan. In fact - his condition is so bad - that he couldn't receive a blood transfusion because the doctor couldn't find a vein. He has to now eat spinach and callaloo to try and build his blood.
His condition is dire he is constantly in pain, on most days, painkillers like these Tylenol are his only escape. But Shaphan is far from depressed, he is in fact optimistic.
Shaphan Domingo,
"Something has already happened to me and I can't change this so I just have to live with it like that. Well I might because I really don't have my hopes that I won't walk again. I still have a lot of hopes because right now my peoples are trying to get me out of the country so that I could get better treatment. I don't have my mind on that I won't walk again. There might be a possibility that I will walk different but I don't have my mind on not walking again."
But it will take more than hope to get Shaphan back on his feet. Hattieville's Village Chairlady Sadie Martinez is leading efforts to get Shaphan into a hospital.
Sadie Martinez Chairlady - Hattieville Village
"Shaphan is not a trouble person that looks for trouble. Shaphan is a graduate from E.P. Yorke High School and he always has been working but since this happened to him, he had to be bedridden and I think that the public should really come out and assist him especially because he is a youth. With Shaphan's condition Keith, we are appealing to the public to render kind assistance to Shaphan in regards to financial wise, diapers, and medication."
Keith Swift,
What is your wish right now?
Shaphan Domingo,
"I don't really have a wish. I just have hope and faith right now. I just have a lot of hope, faith in the most high that one day I will stand up and walk."
Keith Swift,
And if you don't.
Shaphan Domingo,
"I just have to continue live this way."
As mentioned, Shaphan Domingo graduated from E.P. Yorke High School in 2004. He was a tour guide when he was shot but has been physically unable to work since. Anyone interested in assisting can contact the family at 622-8049. Financial donations can be deposited into Belize Bank account number 695-2-2-256053.
