Young Kidney Patient Gets Help from CHASE Fund

One familiar face at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) is that of 15-year-old Carl Blake, who is receiving free lifesaving treatment.

Accompanied by his mother, Elizabeth Nembhard, the youngster journeys to the facility three times weekly for dialysis care, an expensive treatment that filters the blood and removes unwanted waste when the kidneys fail.

Carl gets the service at no cost because of the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund’s unremitting support in financing projects that assist individuals with kidney disease.

Since last year, the teen has been getting financial aid from the organisation through the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation, which, like CHASE, helps children battling kidney disease.

Dr. Maolynne Miller, Jamaica’s first paediatric nephrologist who specialises in the care of kidneys, established the charitable Foundation in 2012.

“CHASE came to our aid in 2017 and has been supporting this venture ever since. Through the CHASE Fund, we are able to procure dialysis material. So, at this point, no child is going to die from kidney failure because they cannot afford it. The essential items for the dialysis are provided by the CHASE Fund, so CHASE has saved lives,” Dr. Miller told JIS News.

Approximately $30 million has been provided by the CHASE Fund to the Foundation in the past six years. Most of the donation goes to the UHWI, which is the only health facility that provides dialysis to children under 12 years old.

At least 40 children have benefited from CHASE’s intervention, to date. This, along with donations from other local and international benefactors, has played an essential role in the continuation of the Foundation’s initiatives.

“We are eternally grateful for the [support] because this has been keeping the paediatric dialysis programme at UHWI alive for the last six to seven years. Without it, I do not know what will happen,” Dr. Miller said.

“CHASE has never refused any of our requests. The demand may change, but CHASE has been flexible in understanding how things may change by virtue of new children coming on, because of an epidemic,” the doctor added.

She is anticipating continued backing from CHASE, as the entity assents to her conviction that “all children with kidney disease, regardless of their backgrounds, should have the opportunity to live to their fullest potential.”

CHASE’s contribution is also indispensable to the caregivers of children who are depending on the Foundation to assist with the lifesaving treatment.

Some of them have lost their jobs because of spending too much time away from work caring for their children, making it impossible for them to pay for the dialysis.

Anneika Douglas is one of the parents who is filled with gratitude for the helping hand. She is an unemployed single mother whose son, Javarie McDonald, participated in the programme at the UHWI for several years before his passing in April 2022.

In expressing her appreciation to CHASE, Ms. Douglas said: “Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. When he was alive, we benefited tremendously.”

“I am thankful for organisations like CHASE and others who come to assist me and the other moms to fight the good fight to preserve our children’s lives to the fullest,” Ms. Douglas continued.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of the CHASE Fund, W. Billy Heaven, noted that the organisation remains committed to supporting and implementing programmes related to renal disease.

Since its inception in 2002, CHASE has provided significant funding towards improving the health sector.

It finances projects that focus on building, upgrading, restoring, and equipping health facilities with modern medical paraphernalia.

CHASE Fund also provides training for healthcare practitioners and develops and implements programmes related to cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and care.