Three-year-old Hampton Court Nursery School pupil Chayanne Parboo is currently a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) and is in urgent need of A+ blood which is vital for her survival.
Blood tests have found that the child has dangerously low platelet and hemoglobin counts and abnormally high levels of white blood cells. Though they have been unable to make a diagnosis yet, doctors suspect that Chayanne may have leukemia. The test required to rule out the malignant blood cancer is a biopsy, where a sample is taken from the bone marrow to determine the presence or extent of the disease.
Chayanne was first hospitalised at the Charity Hospital on December 5th and on the evening of the said date was transferred to the Suddie Hospital where she spent two days. She was then taken to the GPH on December 8th and has remained hospitalised since.
Her father, Omesh Parboo, told Stabroek News that prior to her hospitalisation, Chayanne had a fever for three weeks. During this time, she was taken to the Windsor Castle Health Centre, the Charity Hospital and to Anna Regina, where she was seen by medical officials and was prescribed Panadol and Amoxicillin as she was thought to be coming down with a cold or the flu, he said. It wasn’t until the three-year-old was taken to see a private specialist that further examinations were done and blood tests revealed that her platelets and hemoglobin levels were dangerously low while her white blood cell count was extremely high.
The tests revealed that Chayanne’s platelets count was 19,000 and her white blood cell count was 112,000. Additional blood work showed that her platelets count, within a matter of weeks, decreased from 19,000 to 14,000 and kept dropping. Tests done again on December 31st showed her platelets count to be 6,000. However, after reports from several media outlets asking for donations of blood, persons have been doing so and blood transfusions have significantly increased Chayanne’s platelet count to 301,000 based on blood tests done on Thursday. A normal platelet count of a person falls between 150,000 – 450,000, while a normal white blood cell count falls between 5,000 and 10,000.
Doctors are monitoring Chayanne to see whether her platelets count would drop over the next few days or remain the same. To obtain platelets, persons of any blood type can donate blood as platelets are collected and separated from other blood components. Platelets are responsible for the clotting of the blood and when a person’s platelets count is low, a simple cut can make them bleed with potentially fatal results.
However, because Chayanne’s hemoglobin level is exceptionally low, she needs type A+ blood before doctors can move forward with a biopsy.
The preschooler’s father shared that for the last two days, his daughter has gone without a fever. Her mother, Verney Charles said presently, Chayanne is taking three different antibiotics and she was told by the doctors that the medication will fight any bacterial infections resulting from the high level of white blood cells.
Chayanne is the middle child and only daughter of her parents, who also have a 10-year-old son and a 10-month-old baby, who are currently being cared for by a relative.
Parboo, a logger, resides with his family at St Monica, Upper Pomeroon. The man is the sole breadwinner of the family. When asked whether he is in need of monetary assistance, he shared that the family is presently relying on their savings and they are doing okay for the time being. However, he added that if the biopsy finds that Chayanne has leukemia, then she will need chemotherapy which, he said, will be expensive and he may then need financial help.
“I would like to say thanks to the public for their support and the
assistance they have been giving us,” he added.
Verney sadly shared, “Every day I keep asking God for a miracle. Someday I feel like it’s just a dream but when I realise how real it is, it’s really hard to know the pain my daughter is going through every day….the amount of antibiotics she has to take. When she cry, I cry also.”
Chayanne’s parents expressed their gratitude to all those who assisted them in one way or another and appealed to the public to come forward and donate blood so that their child can have a chance at a longer life. They added too that there are many other children like Chayanne who could also use the help of the general public to live better lives.
To make donations, persons can go to the blood bank located in the GPH compound, Lamaha and East streets. The blood bank is opened Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 3pm. For further inquiries, the department can be contacted on 223 7182 or 225 4972. Persons wishing to donate blood must be 18 years or older. Interested persons residing far from the city can donate blood at their respective hospitals.
Chayanne’s parents can be reached at 677-5280 or 679-1784.
