MONTEGO BAY, St James — The way has now been cleared for baby Ariah Turner to lead a normal life.

That’s the suggestion from the toddler’s mother, Tashoy Brown, following a major anal reconstructive procedure days ago.

Brown had appealed to Jamaica Observer readers for support recently, as Ariah, now aged one year, was born without an anus. Little Ariah received her first surgery at only 12 days old, where an opening was made on her abdomen to ensure that she could pass waste.

But that was a short-term fix that lost its effectiveness earlier this year, the mother said.

In late August, Brown noticed that the toddler’s waste began passing through her vaginal cavity. She told the Sunday Observer that with the public health-care system under pressure due to a third wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic, her daughter’s worsened condition was deemed not urgent enough by health-care professionals.

This was when she decided to seek assistance from a private institution.

After consulting The Barnett Clinic Surgery & Dermatology Centre in this north-western city, she received a $735,000 quotation for the reconstructive surgery to be done, and through the help of good Samaritans across the world the money was raised in two weeks.

But, the mother said, another roadblock popped up in the child’s journey to normalcy as the country’s experience with oxygen shortage pushed back the original date for the surgery.

Disappointed but not discouraged, the mother said she waited for the next available surgery date. That date came earlier this week.

“Her surgery was done on the third of November at The Barnett Clinic Surgery & Dermatology Centre in Montego Bay. It was a miracle. It was very successful and she is currently on the road to recovery,” said Brown.

A burden has been lifted from the family’s shoulders, the child’s mother said.

“I am very overwhelmed with emotions but I know that she will be fine. This is a lot to handle and I am prepared to take on my duties gracefully; I took some time off work so I can be here to assist her,” she told the Sunday Observer in an interview yesterday.

She added: “I’m really grateful because I didn’t know that the surgery would have been done. And it means a lot to me because when it’s time for her to be potty-trained, it won’t be so hard.”

The mother shared that while she was on edge throughout the child’s procedure, her mood turned around for the better after hearing that the surgery was completed, and she could now hold little Ariah.

“It’s like my whole day was on standby because she was in surgery for more than five hours. I couldn’t just stay there, I had to find something to keep me distracted. When she came from the theatre, I was there and the doctor said to me, ‘Jump in the bed with her as you are’, so I jumped in and I just cried. It was tears of joy,” she added.

After spending two nights at the health facility, Ariah is now at home where she will continue on the journey to recovery.

“Currently, she is in a lot of pain so she is not very playful, but it is just three days post-surgery, she will come around. I got a prescription for pain medication and antibiotics for her so she will be fine. She is on her road to recovery,” Brown told the Sunday Observer.

Now, the mother is overwhelmed with gratitude as she believes that without the monetary assistance from donors her child would not have received the surgery to fix the severe birth defect.

Moral support and prayers also did not go unnoticed, she added.

“I want to thank everyone for everything that they have done, whether it was financial support, prayers, or just reaching out,” said the mother.

“If it wasn’t for the Sunday Observer, using their medium to get her story out there, I know the surgery wouldn’t be done. So, I’m most grateful to the Observer for putting the story out there to make people join hands and hearts to assist Ariah in getting this surgery. It remains a miracle, because I didn’t know where the money was going to come from and I was able to get more than enough in two weeks,” she continued.

She also thanked the team at The Barnett Clinic Surgery & Dermatology Centre for what she described as “great service”.

“The nurses were very attentive and helpful. If she made a little sound, the nurses would be there to check on her. The team, the doctors… it was just an overall awesome experience,” said Brown.

The child is expected to undergo a final follow-up surgical procedure in around six weeks to close the opening on her abdomen, Brown told the Sunday Observer.