Teen cancer victim’s mom makes plea for help meeting medical treatment costs

Western Bureau:

Seven months ago, 18-year-old Rihanna Golding, of Bogue in St James, had her right leg amputated after she was diagnosed with stage two osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in 2023. Today, she is again battling the cancer that she thought was behind her.

Golding’s mother, Bernadette McCook, who is spearheading the bid to help her beat the disease, is now seeking financial assistance to cover the cost of an MRI and a CT scan as her daughter undergoes chemotherapy.

Speaking with The Gleaner, McCook, a single mother, noted that the MRI and CT scan machines at the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), in Montego Bay, have been out of service for a protracted period, hence her need to have the scans done privately.

“In December, I got a referral from a doctor and was told to go to the patient care at (CRH) for assistance. When we went to them, they said the government is not doing any outside MRI or CT scan and the machines were not working,” said McCook, who got the same news on three subsequent visits.

Now desperate for help, McCook yesterday got a referral from the hospital to take to a private facility, which is charging a sum she cannot afford on her own.

“I got a letter yesterday from CRH addressed to North Coast Imaging Limited located in Montego Bay, for an MRI to be done on her right thigh. In the letter, it says I must pay $20,000 and the hospital will be covering the balance,” said McCook, showing the letter to The Gleaner as proof.

In addition to J$20,000 for the MRI, McCook will also need to find another J$62,000 for the CT scan, which is the cost of that procedure at North Coast Imaging Limited. McCook is now worried because she lacks the financial capacity to cover the cost.

Another document shared with The Gleaner by McCook showed that, when it was determined that Golding needed to do the scans, the hospital labelled the matter ‘urgent’.

When contacted about the status of the out-of-service CT scan machine at the CRH, St Andrade Sinclair, the regional director of the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), said it was currently being commissioned into service.

“We have equipped the hospital with a state-of-the-art, one of its kind in the Caribbean, CT scan,” Sinclair told The Gleaner. “It has 160 slides and everything is completed. It should be up and running any day now, but it has to be commissioned for patients. That would be another couple of days.”

He added: “They have to check the radiation and other things. Any patient that requires CT scan won’t have an issue again when it comes to CT scan in this parish or region anymore.”

CANCER STILL THERE

With regard to Golding’s situation, McCook said, shortly after the amputation, which was done at the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny last August, her daughter noticed a lump near her groin.

“We thought it was ‘wax and cannon’. but it got bigger and bigger, so we went to the surgery clinic at (CRH). After doing a CT scan and X-ray, the doctor seh ‘them nuh tell you that the cancer is still in the foot?’ I said ‘No, nobody nuh say nothing to me’, and that’s how we knew,” McCook said.

Now faced with an expensive new challenge, her daughter, who was a student when her leg was amputated, is poised to face more chemotherapy, which is also extremely expensive.

“Last year when she was at the University of the West Indies Hospital (UHWI), a prescription was sent to me from India for about 48 bottles of chemotherapy pills. The medication cost is about US$10,000, and inside me tear up every time I think about it. Lord help me,” said McCook.

Golding’s problem started when she noticed a swelling on her right knee in 2023. The swelling subsequently got so big that she was not able to move without support. On seeking medical attention, she was diagnosed with cancer.

ashley.anguin@gleanerjm.com

If you want to help Rihanna Golding, you can contact her mother at 876-576-5260.

. Account Details: CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank, Fairview Branch

. Name: Bernadette McCook