MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Member of Parliament for Manchester Central Rhoda Crawford says during a recent near death experience when her appendix was ruptured she made a promise to a higher power to increase her efforts to improve the lives of her constituents.

“A couple Mondays ago, prior to the fifth of February, I was at home and battling the flu and I thought it was the gas pain so I was drinking tea and taking all sorts of gas medicine, but the pain just would not leave,” she said on Sunday at a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) workers’ appreciation ceremony at Manchester High School to recognise her devoted supporters.

She said the pain was unbearable to the point that she had to be hospitalised and that was when she realised she went to death’s door.

“The Monday morning, when I couldn’t bear the pain anymore and I couldn’t even walk straight… I knocked on my neighbour’s door and I said [to them] ‘Please take me to the hospital’. They took me to Andrews Hospital,” she said.

“I was developing a fever and I was transferred to the University [Hospital of the West Indies]. They ran several tests and when they did a scan [they] found that my appendix was badly ruptured. I almost died. I was admitted on the Tony Thwaites Wing for a couple days. A lot of people didn’t know, and even on my sick bed I was signing letters. I was looking after my constituents. I was responding to your messages, because that is my commitment and I ask the Lord, I begged Him in prayer. I said, ‘If you raise me up, if you allow me to live, I am getting back in my constituency and I am going to fight with all my might to ensure that victory is returned to the people of Manchester Central’,” Crawford told the Labourites.

Early, during the meeting, Crawford was comforted by people on the platform, including JLP General Secretary Dr Horace Chang.

She later explained that she was emotional due to her experience.

“When I got out of the hospital I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t walk. Tonight I can jump,” she said to loud cheers.

Crawford then turned her attention to Mandeville Mayor Donovan Mitchell, who is also People’s National Party aspirant for Manchester Central.

“If you look around, the man that [is] gearing up to run against me, I want to know if unno see this man as councillor fi 20 odd years inna Royal Flat Division and as mayor of Mandeville and God bless weh him do. Then unno did a go swap me out and take him up?” she asked.

She said her achievements as MP include roadworks, housing development, education, and continued investment in water infrastructure.

“Never before have so many constituents in one single term… have seen so many roads being built and rehabilitated in our constituency. Never before have we seen so many housing solutions becoming available through the NHT [National Housing Trust]… When we gave out the first concrete HOPE [Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment programme] house in Manchester Central people couldn’t believe it, because they thought a board we did a go come with,” she said.

“Already we have given out 10 social houses. Thousands of constituents have benefited from building grants. Thousands of farmers have benefited from farming grants. Thousands have received entrepreneurial grants. I have already spent $30 million to assist youngsters from early childhood to tertiary to pay for their tuition, books, uniform and to pay for tablets, because I know where I am coming from and had it not been for my access to education and training I couldn’t be here,” added Crawford.

She told her audience that she is extremely confident of retaining the constituency at the parliamentary poll due by September this year.

“So confident I am that I can declare tonight that if a one seat the JLP a win, it a go be Manchester Central, so all who a run up and down and a depend pon certain elements and certain human power, tell dem seh Rhoda Moy Crawford, apart from her workers and the support from the leadership of the JLP, a one source we a depend pon and a the almighty God,” she said.