12-year-old requires urgent assistance to remove eye tumour

Nov 30, 2008 News

Tionne Jones cringes in pain as she is consoled by a relative.

When it comes to her health there is no doubt that 12-year-old Tionne Jones has been dealt a bad hand, a dilemma her family hopes could be reversed with financial assistance from caring members of the public.
It was just last year, according to Tionne’s aunt Karen Trapp that the child’s health had diminished severely due to a cancerous tumour in her right eye.

Trapp related that the tumour was evidently growing and it was medically recommended that it be removed with much urgency.

And it was with the assistance of the public that the tumour was removed at the Westshore Medical Centre in Trinidad last year.

According to Trapp, it was the belief of the family that all was well with the child until it was discovered that the tumour had regenerated and has since been increasing in size at a notable rate. According to a letter from the medical facility in Trinidad, Tionne had undergone excision of a right retro-orbital tumour on September 29, 2007 and had recovered excellently from that procedure.

It was noted, too, that the tumour was confirmed to be a cavernous haemangioma related to abnormal blood vessel formation.

However, on review it was detected via Magnetic Resonance Imaging that there had been a small recurrence.
As such it was noted that the best treatment would be for a repeat surgical removal.

The estimated cost of the follow-up operation according to the letter will amount to TT$106,000. It was however noted in the letter that the estimate represents realistic and independent costs and does not include unanticipated complications, pointing out that the final cost may vary.

Currently Tionne’s family is unable to acquire the requisite finance to undertake the urgent operation, thus they are desperately seeking the assistance of the public.

Trapp during a visit to this newspaper recently said that every effort is being made by the family to solicit funds from business organisations and individuals in a bid to ensure that the procedure can be undertaken as soon as possible.

In the meantime Tionne’s predicament causes her to cringe in pain when her eye is exposed to light.