AS if the pain associated with her scoliosis that keeps her up most nights is not bad enough, 19-year-old Shenneil Flemmings also has to endure the constant taunts of people she meets on the streets who make fun of her appearance.

Scoliosis, an abnormal curving of the vertebral column, if not treated early, can lead to paralysis.

Grace Flemmings shares her daughter’s pain; equally hurt by the fact that she can’t find the $2 million for the corrective surgery and that she is unable to shield her daughter from the cruel jeers of some Jamaicans.

“People tease her when she’s walking on the road so she hardly wants to go on the road anymore,” the distraught mother told the Observer.

“She is very unhappy. She keeps asking me ‘Mommy, when am I going to do the surgery?’ and I have to tell her that we have to wait until we get some assistance.”

According to Grace, Shenneil has been experiencing severe pains associated with the condition for the past few years, and the condition is worsening.

“As she getting older, we realise her back starting to lean more and more and she start feeling a lot of pain. I took her to see Dr Minott [orthopaedic surgeon at St Joseph’s Hospital] in September and Shenneil did an X-ray and when we went back, he confirm that she has it [scoliosis] and will need to do an operation,” said Grace, who operates a fruit stall on Red Hills Road, a few blocks from their Whitehall Avenue home.

“Dr Minott is ready to do the operation, but to find the money is the problem,” she added.

Psychologist Dr Emanuel Boreland, who is assisting the family to raise money for Shenneil’s operation, told the Observer that the estimated cost of the surgery is J$2 million, which will cover the purchase of pins and rods to be used in the straightening of the spinal chord, other medical expenses and her after-care programme.

“The family is very poor and we are seeking the support of corporate Jamaica and other kind persons to help cover the cost of Shenneil’s surgery. This family really needs help,” Boreland told the Observer.

A trip to the family home on Whitehall Avenue in St Andrew corroborated Dr Boreland’s assessment of the family’s living conditions. The Flemmings share a tenement household with two other tenants and barely get by on their meagre earnings.

But despite the obvious evidence of poverty, the house is clean and well kept. And Shenneil, who celebrated her 19th birthday last Saturday, had a clear career plan to improve her family’s standard of living; she wants to become a certified cosmetologist. But this was before she was officially diagnosed with scoliosis last September.

In fact, the Holy Trinity High past student has been accepted by the HEART Trust/NTA to study cosmetology but, unfortunately, she cannot do so until the surgery had been performed.

“It makes me feel very frustrated because I really want to further my education,” remarked Shenneil, who has three other siblings. “I can’t sleep comfortably. I am very unhappy. Only pain me a feel,” the sad-eyed teen added.

The operation, which is a risky procedure, will involve the use of metal rods and pins to help straighten and hold the spine in the corrected position. Despite the risks involved, both Shenneil and her mother are optimistic.

“As early as the surgery can be done, the better everything will be. We are appealing to Jamaicans out there to help us,” Grace said.

An account has been set up for people who wish to make a financial contribution to the family. The account number (at Bank of Nova Scotia) is 908887.