Urgent Eye Surgery, Please Help Gina
Donation protected
Hi,
My name is Amariah DeJesus and I am Gina Liselle Gonzales's niece. Gina lives on the lovely island of Trinidad and Tobago where growing up she reveled in all things sun, fun, and family-related.
As many friends and family might know, my aunt had been in an all-out battle to preserve her vision for almost two decades. Currently, she is in urgent need of a cornea transplant and retinal surgery on her right eye. Due to the severity of her condition, her doctors are targeting an operation date of January 2022.
To date, Gina has had a total of 32 surgeries (laser, gap laser, cataract, corneal scrapes, vitreoretinal surgery, amputation, and implants) on both eyes over 17 years in a desperate attempt to save her vision. The unfortunate cause of her vision loss is still unknown.
After removing the retina and losing full vision in her left eye, doctors focused attention on saving the retina of the right eye. Surgeries to the right eye allowed her to preserve the retina, but her peripheral vision of the retina was amputated in one of her surgeries and a buckle was inserted together with silicone oil to stabilize the retina. Due to the number of surgeries done on the right eye, the cornea started to fail. Over the years she gradually lost vision in her right eye, making her totally visually impaired.
A few months ago, immense ongoing pain and pressure began in her right eye, and soon blood was sighted. This issue reminded her of how she lost the retina in her left eye. She immediately sought the advice of her ophthalmologist: the team consists of one cornea surgeon and two retina specialists, that will be collaborating to do this surgery.
As can be imagined, Gina's loss of vision has not allowed her to work for many years now. After financing 32 surgeries both in Trinidad and abroad, she is having difficulty raising the funds for this urgent procedure. The longer it takes for the surgery to be done means increasing risk to the health of her eye, and the ongoing daily pain becomes more unbearable.
Your generous donations will help pay for the following fees:
Cornea Transplant and Retinal Surgery
Hospitalization
Medication
Post-Surgery Check-Up Visits and Stitches Removal
The majority of her cornea healing would be within the 1st year post-surgery, where the stitches will be left in her eye for this period. Thereafter, doctors will keep a close watch on her progress. Each stitch will be removed one at a time at different healing intervals as doctors deem necessary.
This journey has been very traumatic for Gina especially since most of her previous surgeries were emergencies. Although it is unlikely that Gina will ever regain full sight in her right eye, she and her surgical team hope that this operation will help her salvage some semblance of images. Her ultimate wish is to see her son's face after 16 years of vision loss.
As her niece, it would be such a blessing to me if my aunty were able to get even the slightest glimpse of the woman I've become; to see how much her niece, two nephews, and of course, her son have transformed over the years. Despite how bravely my aunt has coped with and adapted to this drastic change, it's been quite an emotional journey for our family to see her struggle with the loss of something I'm sure many of us have taken for granted: the beauty of sight.
The surgery will take place at Medical Associates Hospital in St. Joseph, Trinidad. Gina and her family appreciate any amount of donation that you can provide. If your heart calls you to it, we ask that you please pray for a safe surgery and recovery as well. Thank you!
My name is Amariah DeJesus and I am Gina Liselle Gonzales's niece. Gina lives on the lovely island of Trinidad and Tobago where growing up she reveled in all things sun, fun, and family-related.
As many friends and family might know, my aunt had been in an all-out battle to preserve her vision for almost two decades. Currently, she is in urgent need of a cornea transplant and retinal surgery on her right eye. Due to the severity of her condition, her doctors are targeting an operation date of January 2022.
To date, Gina has had a total of 32 surgeries (laser, gap laser, cataract, corneal scrapes, vitreoretinal surgery, amputation, and implants) on both eyes over 17 years in a desperate attempt to save her vision. The unfortunate cause of her vision loss is still unknown.
After removing the retina and losing full vision in her left eye, doctors focused attention on saving the retina of the right eye. Surgeries to the right eye allowed her to preserve the retina, but her peripheral vision of the retina was amputated in one of her surgeries and a buckle was inserted together with silicone oil to stabilize the retina. Due to the number of surgeries done on the right eye, the cornea started to fail. Over the years she gradually lost vision in her right eye, making her totally visually impaired.
A few months ago, immense ongoing pain and pressure began in her right eye, and soon blood was sighted. This issue reminded her of how she lost the retina in her left eye. She immediately sought the advice of her ophthalmologist: the team consists of one cornea surgeon and two retina specialists, that will be collaborating to do this surgery.
As can be imagined, Gina's loss of vision has not allowed her to work for many years now. After financing 32 surgeries both in Trinidad and abroad, she is having difficulty raising the funds for this urgent procedure. The longer it takes for the surgery to be done means increasing risk to the health of her eye, and the ongoing daily pain becomes more unbearable.
Your generous donations will help pay for the following fees:
Cornea Transplant and Retinal Surgery
Hospitalization
Medication
Post-Surgery Check-Up Visits and Stitches Removal
The majority of her cornea healing would be within the 1st year post-surgery, where the stitches will be left in her eye for this period. Thereafter, doctors will keep a close watch on her progress. Each stitch will be removed one at a time at different healing intervals as doctors deem necessary.
This journey has been very traumatic for Gina especially since most of her previous surgeries were emergencies. Although it is unlikely that Gina will ever regain full sight in her right eye, she and her surgical team hope that this operation will help her salvage some semblance of images. Her ultimate wish is to see her son's face after 16 years of vision loss.
As her niece, it would be such a blessing to me if my aunty were able to get even the slightest glimpse of the woman I've become; to see how much her niece, two nephews, and of course, her son have transformed over the years. Despite how bravely my aunt has coped with and adapted to this drastic change, it's been quite an emotional journey for our family to see her struggle with the loss of something I'm sure many of us have taken for granted: the beauty of sight.
The surgery will take place at Medical Associates Hospital in St. Joseph, Trinidad. Gina and her family appreciate any amount of donation that you can provide. If your heart calls you to it, we ask that you please pray for a safe surgery and recovery as well. Thank you!
Organizer
Amariah DeJesus
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY