10-year-old Belmopan resident Nevil Bermudez has been hospitalized since last week Wednesday. Doctors say he is in urgent need of open heart surgery to repair one of his heart valves. Tonight, the child's condition is deteriorating and the family needs urgent financial assistance to have him flown out of the country. Alfonso Noble reports on a desperate time for a struggling family.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
10-year-old Nevil Bermudez was prepared and taken to the Intensive Care Unit at the private ward at the KHMH after his condition deteriorated. Bermudez is suffering from a heart condition that doctors says has become life threatening.
Dr. Fernando Cuellar, KHMH Chief of Medical Staff
"He is now reported as critical given his medical condition. Nevin has a problem with his heart whereby he has entered into heart failure and that has happened basically because one of his heart valves is not functioning properly. All attempts are being made to stabilize him with medication but he does require definitive surgical correction of this problem."
Mother,
"We just recently found out last week because my child just got sick, it was something sudden. He didn't complain that his chest hurt or nothing."
Dr. Fernando Cuellar,
"I would summarize it basically as he needs to have his heart valve replaced so that unfortunately cannot be done here in Belize."
And now this 10 year old will have to be taken out of the country for the medical attention he needs. That however is posing problems for the family who will have to come up with thousands of dollars for him to be flown out by air ambulance.
Mother,
"The cost just for the air ambulance will be $22,000 Belize just for the air ambulance. The fee for the air ambulance we need urgently because if we get accepted, Rotary will help out also."
But even that is not for certain and all together it is a very delicate situation that this child finds himself because of the uncertainty of being accepted in a U.S. hospital and more so because of the financial constraints that the trip there pose for the family.
Arrangements are presently being made to have Bermudez attended to in a U.S. hospital through the Gift of Life program. However funding must first be secured to have him flown out. Anyone able to assist the family is asked to contact them at 620-0577.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift
