Paramin man seeks $250,000 to save leg

A 27-year-old man is in danger of losing his left leg if he does not raise at least $250,000 to have knee-replacement surgery after removing a tumour.

Stephon Samuel, a labourer at the Diego Martin Regional Corporation, who lives at La Belle Vue, Paramin, explained to Newsday on Monday, he slipped and fell in his yard in February last year. He was so badly hurt he was unable to get back up on his own.

He was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital, where an X-ray revealed he had a mass on his left knee. The leg was put in a cast and Samuel was discharged the same day with pain medication and given an appointment to return to have the mass examined.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed a giant cell tumour – a rare, aggressive, non-cancerous growth which usually develops near a joint at the end of the bone.

Samuel, the father of a four-month-old boy, said he experienced some pain in the knee before the incident, but did not think anything of it.

Doctors, in April last year, removed the tumour and put in a bone cement graft. Samuel said two months into physical therapy after the surgery, the graft shifted and he was once again in pain. He said doctors told him he needs a full knee replacement, but the procedure cannot be done locally.

“They just said it can't be done here and that's it,” said Dianne Constantine-Halls, Samuel’s mother. “They just leave us on our own. They did not say where to go.”

After receiving his diagnosis, Samuel sought advice from a private institution where he was told the procedure – a mega prosthesis with distal femoral replacement – could be done for an estimated $250,000.

Samuel’s family also sought a second opinion from two doctors in India and were told it could be done for an estimated US$8,200-$8,500, which does not include accommodation and airfare for a two-three-week stay in the country and a five-day hospital visit.

“We’re not seeing that kind of money,” said Constantine-Halls. She said since Samuel’s diagnosis, the family held three barbecues and a pork-and-parang event to raise the money for the surgery but have only managed to raise $32,000.

Samuel, who lives with his wife and parents, said doctors told him if he does not have the surgery, the knee will get worse.

“It’s like a tyre. If I do not treat it, it will continue to deteriorate.”

The family wrote to the Ministry of Health in September 2019 but was only contacted by a representative in March this year by phone. Constantine-Halls said she was told his case had been approved, but the government did not have the money to pay for the 3D scan – a prerequisite for the procedure.

She said she was told to go to the Couva hospital to have the scan done, but when she contacted the hospital in April she was told the machine was not working and the hospital was not taking on any additional cases owing to the covid19 pandemic.

The family is seeking assistance from the public to have the procedure done before Samuel’s condition worsens to the point of having to amputate the leg. He was not told exactly how far away he is from that possibly happening, only that the bone is deteriorating at an aggressive rate.

“Right now anything that comes would be appreciated. I can’t do anything. I can’t even walk with my son,” Samuel said.

He told Newsday the terrain around his home is so rough, he has to replace his crutches every two to three months at a cost of $1,200 each time.

He returned to work last month, but works in the office doing light duties. But he has to pay a private driver to take him to and from work at a cost of $1,200 a month.

Samuel said he has received some help from generous neighbours and friends who have supported his family with cash and food hampers, for which he is grateful.

Anyone wishing to help Samuel can call 274-5062 or 336-8526. Members of the public can also donate to Scotiabank account no 2412624, transit number 60525.