We’re sure you remember Tarrell Sutherland. He’s the four year old with the rare skin condition who we’ve been updating you on for the past four months. On January 27th, he went to Texas for specialized treatment. We’ve been keeping touch with his mom Nicole MacDougal who’s been keeping us abreast of his progress. But we were caught off guard today when mother and son came home unexpectedly....here’s how that went.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Who’s that sharp guy in the blazer? That’s what I asked when Tarell Sutherland showed up at our studios today. After five weeks of treatment in the United States he came in with a smile, a smile we only saw rarely before. And if I didn’t know – he gave me a pound to show his strength. And in our studio, this usually reticent child was a ball of energy – hyper, actually when before he could hardly walk. But today he was showing us all his moves – and that he came home with maximum energy. His mother says she’s never been happier.
Nicole MacDougal, Mother
“Well I feel happy happy happy. I have never been so happy before knowing that my son is at comfortable stage. A new life will just begin now for all of us.”
In 5 weeks, he’s gone through an almost complete transformation.
Nicole MacDougal,
“As you could see his skin cleared up, his head is clearing up a lot
but he is doing okay. He walks good, he plays.”
Jules Vasquez,
“All these things he didn’t do before because he couldn’t.”
Nicole MacDougal,
“Because of the pain which in he still goes through some sort of pain but it is pain he can stand. Because he can stand it, he bypasses it.”
James Pitre, Compassionate Hearts Alliance
“Just seeing him dance around today, you couldn’t see that last time. He is feeling good within his body, his body is starting to heal from the inside outside and the more the medication works and the therapy of the creams and we get this little surgery done in April, he is going to be a new kid.”
He’s happy and it shows on his face where the once rare smile is now very often present after seeing an endocrinologist, pediatrician urologist dermatologist and a cardiologist.
James Pitre,
“The whole paediatric centre where he is located, his five or six doctors are all in one building and they all communicate with each other, they
all help each other with international cases and Tarrell falls into that case, they’ve fallen in love with this little boy and they extend a hand out to him.”
Jules Vasquez,
“And the conclusion is that his condition is manageable?”
Nicole MacDougal,
“Yes his condition, we will be able to more manage the skin with the type of medication for his type of icythisos as Dr. Craig had mentioned before. That was the correct diagnosis.”
James Pitre,
“Dr. Levy as we mentioned is perhaps the best dermatologist in the whole country of the United States and his conclusion after him and I talked on the phone is that he does have Tarrell’s future mapped out for him through therapy, through medication, and the fact that he will be able to live a comfortable life. There is no cure for what we has, not yet, but however he will be able to go to school and do everything that siblings do and live a happy productive life.
Right now the medication around US$30 per capsule and that is extremely expensive. However it is not available in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, or anywhere else in the united states, we’ve checked on that and so that is where we are. We will get the medication to him as he needs over the year and do what we need to do.”
Nicole MacDougal,
“We will hope that in days to come that it will continue to grow. He has gained two and a half pounds over there the month that we were there and I am hoping for him to gain more pounds and look much more better than he is.”
And while it’s not “live happily every after” quote yet – he still had to do another surgery – he’s on the home stretch.
James Pitre,
“This perhaps one of the most touching cases because of the fact that there are so many Belizean people involved in it and that is what drives us. The inspiring way we can approach Tarrell’s is because of the fact that this whole country is behind helping him get the help he needs.”
Nicole MacDougal,
“I would like to say a heart full of thanks and it is a thanks that we will never stop saying to the Belizean public. To Mr. James Pitre, to all the doctors back in Texas. Without the Belizean people, this wouldn’t have been possible without their prayers, without their thoughts.”
And today we got the last proof of his wellness when he walked out of the studio. Where usually he would wince as he walked down the stairs today it was no problem as Tarrell trotted down the street ready to take on what’s next.
After visiting with us, mother and son headed to their residence where their homecoming was also a surprise. Again, its not over for Tarell. He has to stay on very expensive medication for the foreseeable future which will make his condition manageable. He also has to go back to Texas on March 25th, for another small surgical procedure. His mom says that every night she was at the Ronald MacDonald House in Austin, he asked to eat fried chicken.
