Doctors reattach mother’s hand

UPDATE:

IT TOOK ten hours, but in the end, surgeons at San Fernando General Hospital successfully reattached the right of a Carapichaima woman whose son chopped it off during an argument at their home on Thursday morning. However, the woman remained warded at the Intensive Care Unit in a stable but critical condition after doctors discovered she had bleeding in the brain.

A source at the hospital said she was assessed by a team comprising vascular, plastic, neuro, orthopaedic and general surgeons prior to the operation. Yesterday, the woman’s husband remained at her bedside. He was comforted by nurses and visitors of other patients at the ICU, who promised to pray for him and his family.

Contacted for comment, the victim’s husband told Newsday that on Thursday, he went to buy fish at Carli Bay, leaving his wife and son at home. When he returned at 7.30 am, he saw his son in his school uniform and asked why he was still at home and not in school. He said his son did not answer, but rode off on his bicycle.

The man said he did not believe for a moment that when he went upstairs he would find his wife bleeding from chop wounds. “I did not panic as I thought maybe my wife was attacked by someone who had come into the house to rob. I immediately alerted a neighbour who assisted me in calling the police and ambulance,” the man said.

When police told him later that his son was held at the Waterloo Cremation Site and taken to Brasso Police Station, that he felt sick to his stomach and began questioning where they (he and his wife) had gone wrong.

His voice choking with emotion, the man said his son never wanted for anything and was an excellent student in
primary school who never gave any trouble.

When he began attending Presentation College in Chaguanas, his grades dropped a bit, but he was still considered a good student. “My son was never a bad child. I knew his mother would speak to him from time to time about being more serious about his school work, but on Wednesday night, his mother took away his cell phone, which may have prompted his rage.”

He said the phone was taken away after they discovered their son was spending long hours at night on the phone instead of studying. He said he did not know why his son spent so many hours on the phone, but added that this caused his mother great concern. The father of one said he visited his son at the Brasso Police station on Thursday, hours after the chopping, but was only able to see him for about two minutes.

The distressed man, who recently underwent heart surgery, told Newsday: “When I leave hospital today, I am going back to the Brasso Police Station to take clothes and other items to my son, because at the end of the day, he is still my boy. I do not know what evidence the police have, but I have to be there for my son and wife. I cannot abandon him and I know that my wife will not want me to abandon our son.”

Yesterday, neighbours of the chopping victim expressed concern over what had happened. They said the family attended service at the New Testament Church of God in Brickfield, and were considered a praying family. Neighbours said they often saw the suspect liming at malls in Chaguanas.

“This thing has devastated us. We feel it for our neighbour and we are hoping she survives. But we are also calling on the police to do a proper investigation and let the chips fall where they may,” a neighbour said. Police said yesterday the suspect will remain in custody until a statement is taken from the victim and directions sought from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Doctors spent close to 10 hours on Thursday reattaching the right hand of a Carapichaima mother who was attacked hours before by her son.

However doctors at San Fernando General Hospital yesterday said they discovered bleeding in the woman’s brain and she was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital where she remains warded in critical condition.

The woman, who is a nurse, also remained incoherent following the surgery and doctors advised that she be given time to recuperate fully before she is allowed to be interviewed by police officers.

A source at the hospital said when the victim arrived by ambulance on Thursday priority care was given to her.

Newsday was also told this is not the first time a severed limb has been re-attached by the team of surgeons at San Fernando.

"This is not unusual, many people in different areas of trauma have had their limbs re-attached. We have that competence within the South West Regional Authority, the success rate has been very high." one medical official said.

Yesterday the woman’s husband remained at her bedside at the Intensive Care Unit praying for her swift recovery. While at his wife’s bedside he was comforted by nurses and visitors of other patients at the ICU who promised to pray for him and his family.

The distraught man told Newsday everything happened so fast on Thursday, he is still in a daze but added that both he and his wife are praying people and he knows in his heart that God will come through for his wife and make her better.