Published 17 May 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
SHAREFIL GAILLARD CREATED : 14 MAY 2021ST. LUCIA NEWS
Doctor forgiven for amputating wrong leg at OKEU
The daughter of a woman who received a wrongful amputation at the Owen King European Hospital (OKEUH) in March has forgiven the doctor who performed the surgery on her mother.
What was supposed to be routine surgery for Evet Jones turned into a nightmare for the elderly woman and her family.
The 84-year-old Ciceron, Castries resident was admitted to the OKEUH on March 10 to have her left leg amputated days later.
However, on March 14, a surgeon with a team of ancillary staff cut off the right leg.
According to Evet Jones’ daughter Maryann Charles, the doctor has since apologized for the incident.
“I forgive him already because he said is a mistake he made and when he was saying that he was crying so I just told him I forgive him.”
Two weeks later, on March 29, surgeons were left with no choice except to amputate Jones’ other leg.
Charles says every day is a battle for the double amputee.
A once active individual now fights with her mobility.
“Monday morning she (Evet Jones) came to ask me what she did, because they took out her feet so I told her remember you had a pain in your feet because of the sugar,” Charles recalled, to which her mother responds, “But I think is something I did to them that’s why they (the surgeons) removed both of them.”
The situation has created a major challenge for the family, especially as it relates to the care and attention of the matriarch.
“It is a big challenge for us. Right now we have no help from the government and we (the family) doing everything and my mom worries about it all the time because she was accustomed to being on her feet, moving about on her own, going and sit down on the block etc and now she can’t do what she wants to.”
On Friday, the double-amputee received a donation of a motorized wheelchair made possible through the Saint Lucia Diabetes and Hypertension Association and Ambassador of CARICOM and the OCES, Her Excellency Elma Gena Isaac and the Authentic Caribbean Foundation, an NGO based in Massachusetts who assist individuals in the diaspora and the Caribbean.
Executive Members of the SLDHA and daughters of Evet Jones.
The chair was originally meant for another member, however, due to the individual’s death as a result of COVID-19, the SLDHA had to find another recipient.
“We did our homework and we came up with a member who suffered an unfortunate, heart-wrenching event and we felt that she was best suited to receive the chair,” Chief Executive Officer of the SLDHA, Joseph Charlemagne said.
The motorized wheelchair was well received by Evet Jones’ daughters, noting their mother’s excitement in receiving the gift.
“I want to praise and thank everyone for this wheelchair for my mom and I know it will go a long way and she will be happy to have it,” Maryann Charles said.
The medical nightmare has now also become a legal one for Evet Jones’ family.
“We are still waiting to hear from the Government of Saint Lucia,” Thaddeus Antoine, the attorney representing the family told Loop News.
