‘Give thanks for life’

THE last thing Rostan Mahabir expected when he left his Carapichaima home on the morning of May 14 was that he would become a robbery statistic with a bullet in his lower stomach.

He never arrived at his workplace, but ended up on an operating table, then in a hospital bed for the past month, after surviving a shooting as he walked along Penitence Street to his job as a premium loans officer at Scotiabank, High Street, San Fernando.

“I just want to thank God that I have my life,” Mahabir said yesterday in a telephone interview from his bed at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH), where he is still being treated. He said he is just looking forward to the day when he can walk out of the hospital.

In the meantime, he said, he wants to keep his progress private and has temporarily suspended all his social media accounts. He was only willing to say, “I am okay. I am doing well. The recovery is going well so far. We will see how things go over the next couple of weeks.”

He has been removed from the intensive care unit, where he was taken immediately after six hours of surgery to repair damage from the bullet to his lower abdomen. He is now recovering in a general ward. Mahabir said he is not sure how long he will remain at the hospital. He said he is in good spirits, is walking about and is not on any special diet.

The incident which led to his being hospitalised is still hazy. He said he was told he called out for help after he was shot.

“I can’t remember anything. Everything is a blur, to be honest with you. I just remember being in the hospital.” He cannot remember what he had in the bag which was stolen.

“Other people are worrying about that. I am just focusing on my recovery. I have not asked a lot of questions about that day.” A devout Roman Catholic, Mahabir said he was grateful for the prayers of his family, friends and strangers. “A lot of people have been visiting and praying for me. The prayers are appreciated.”

Allister Mc David, a labourer from Fyzabad, was denied bail when he appeared before San Fernando magistrate Alicia Chankar on May 25, charged with robbery with violence against Mahabir. Mc David was remanded into custody and is to reappear on June 22.