KINGSTON, Jamaica – Four tertiary students living with Sickle Cell Disease have been presented with scholarship grants of $80,000 each from the LIME Foundation, towards offsetting the cost of their courses of study.

The recipients are Dayten Montaque, a student at the Vocational Training Development Institute(VDTI) pursuing studies in electrical maintenance, Keita Carby, a University of Technology (UTech) student pursuing Communication Arts and Technology, Jou Vaugn Reid, a management studies student at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and Dwight Brown, a Computer Studies student at the Portmore Community College.

The students were selected through an ongoing programme run by the Sickle Cell Unit in collaboration with the LIME Foundation that provides assistance for students affected by the disease to achieve their educational goals.

Lloyd Distant, LIME Foundation director, said that the company was happy to assist while helping to raise awareness about the many challenges faced by persons living with a disease that affects many Jamaicans. “We are impressed by the spirit of determination and courage exhibited by this year’s awardees and commit our ongoing support for this effort,” Distant said.

“We will make the best of the opportunity given to us through this kind donation not only to show our gratitude, but also to demonstrate that we are deserving of it,” Carby, a recent graduate of the Queen’s High School, said in expressing thanks on behalf of the awardees.

According to Dr Jennifer Knight –Madden, Director of the Sickle Cell Unit, some of the medical reasons for under-achievement among students with the disease include issues with their spleen, chest ailments, and strokes as well as unpredictable chronic bone pains. Dr Knight-Madden said these factors often affect their ability to work, attend school regularly and lead a normal life.

This is the eighth year that the LIME Foundation is providing these grants.