GoFundMe set up to help San Juan man paralysed after shooting

Almost two years after a shooting victim became paralysed from the chest down, relatives have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his medical and transportation expenses.

The page says the goal, Can $100,000, is to help Anthony Taylor walk again.

Taylor, 53, an auto-painter and ex-PH driver, lives in a rented ground-floor apartment in San Juan.

Speaking to Newsday by phone, Taylor said he was driving in Morvant on the night of November 20, 2019, when three men blocked his pathway with a car and opened fire.

He was hit four times. His girlfriend, who was with him, was shot once in the leg.

He has been paralysed ever since.

"I rely on people to run around and do everything for me. My mother is 73 years old and does as much as she can to help me."

Four months after the incident, he had surgery at the Port of Spain General Hospital.

"My C7 (7th cervical vertebrae) was damaged, so they put steel inside of me. Since that surgery, I have not had any MRI or any follow-ups from that team of doctors," Taylor said. "I have to do everything privately.

"Transportation costs a lot of money. I have a catheter. To change it at the hospital can take up to a day or two. Privately, it costs $200 to change it."

The father of six complained he has a constipation problem and "all sorts of mounting problems."

"While I was in the hospital, my hands were functional. I was able to move my fingers and raise my hands. I cannot do those things now. I need another surgery to realign the nerves properly."

He needs a proper mattress and physiotherapy, which costs $350-$500 per hour for a session.

"The hospital staff says they cannot help me more therapy-wise. The longer I stay in this condition, the worse it is becoming."

Taylor said he does not trust the public health system and is not sure if public hospitals do the surgery he needs in any case.

"The operation is available in Trinidad and Tobago privately...(but) if I get enough funds, my relatives in Canada will organise for me to have the operation there,"

As of Monday afternoon, Taylor had raised Can$215 of the Can $100,000 goal.

People can donate via the fundraising page https://gofund.me/eaa36b3d.