A lifeline was extended to Detective Corporal Avarine Morris on Monday after money was raised to send her off to Mexico for cancer treatment.

She left the island at 2:00 pm for treatment.

At a press conference at the Ashenhiem Road offices of Sanmerna Foundation, prior to her departure, Morris expressed gratitude to God and the wider society for banding together to ensure she received the money for her treatment, especially since doctors overseas say she does not have much longer to live.

“I thank the Most High God. I say thanks for the love and support. To the wider society, thanks from the bottom of my heart. I thank the White brothers, Stephen Josephs, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), and the wider society,” a grateful Morris said.

Morris, who is assigned to the Major Investigations Division of the JCF, has had squamous cell carcinoma, or sinus cancer, since 2020. She underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment and also did surgery in Florida last year to try and remove all the cancer cells. However, the attempt was not successful. Doctors had to remove part of her jawbone as the condition began to spread to her left eye.

Morris told journalists earlier this year that the treatment was working up to a point but a few months later she was informed that the cancer was spreading and she was advised to go home, spend time with her family, and prepare for a funeral. Doctors then stopped all treatment.

She returned to Jamaica and a friend referred her to an oncology centre in Mexico that specialises in treating the type of cancer she has been fighting.

In a collaboration between the welfare division of the JCF and Sanmerna Foundation in Jamaica, more than US$65,000 was raised for the undertaking of surgery, in an attempt to save Morris’s life.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Raymond Wilson applauded members of the JCF who did what was necessary, including hosting a cake sale and other activities which helped to raise more than $4 million that was handed over to Morris to form part of the $10 million in total that was needed for her treatment.

“Together, the officer core and the rank and file showcased their unparalleled solidarity to support this cause for Avarine to travel abroad to seek medical care. Our welfare officers played a pivotal role in coordinating these efforts, ensuring that our collective [effort] translates into meaningful action. It is important to highlight the remarkable generosity of the Sanmerna Foundation which not only managed the account but also took care of all the logistics for Corporal Morris’s treatment in Mexico.

“Their dedication to this cause is a testament to the power of unity and partnership. The outpouring of love and financial contribution from our side is awesome. It amounted to more than US$28,000 and speaks volumes of the bond within the JCF and the people that we serve.

“I just want to say to you, on behalf of the entire JCF: ‘Stay focused and know that you do not walk alone. Your courage inspires us, and your strength emboldens us, and your resilience reminds us of the indomitable spirit that defines you as a corporal. ’I extend my deepest appreciation to my staff at the welfare division,” Wilson said.

Robert White, a director of Sanmerna Foundation, encouraged Morris to remain strong and always remember that she remains in his prayers.

“We ask everyone here in Jamaica for prayers to ensure the Lord pulls her through. I say to you Ava, ‘Be strong, and we are going to keep you in our prayers.’

“The day has finally come. After months of asking for help from the public and through assistance from her colleagues, Detective Corporal Avarine Morris is finally about to leave Jamaica and go for treatment in Mexico. Today is a special day because the Lord has paved the way for her to get treatment. A lot of people ask for help but before they can get help, they pass away. The Lord has kept you,” he said.

His brother Mark White, who is also a director of the foundation, said it was imperative to say thank you to all the people and entities which donated to the cause.

“We thank everyone who contributed and who gave Detective Corporal Morris the support and contribution as she goes on her journey abroad to fulfil her treatment and do her best. We just want to keep her in our prayers. She is going to need our support as well when she gets back [so] we must all stay behind her and see her through all the way,” he said.

In 2020 Morris had a root canal done by a dentist in Jamaica. A few months later she began to complain about pain. She even started bleeding from her left nostril. After visiting with doctors she was told that they had noticed a problem with her sinuses.

Biopsy results later confirmed that she had cancer.

Sinus cancer affects the nasal cavity (the space behind your nose) and the sinuses (small air-filled cavities inside your nose, cheekbones and forehead). Nasal and sinus cancer is different from cancer of the area where the nose and throat connect as this is called nasopharyngeal cancer.

Symptoms of nasal and sinus cancer include nasal blockage that is not relieved by blowing your nose and nosebleeds. Other symptoms include facial swelling, loosened upper teeth, nasal pain, and double vision.