FOUR-YEAR-OLD Allicia Samuels is now in recovery after a successful heart surgery on Wednesday at Bustamante Hospital for Children. And while her parents say they’re not fully at ease just yet, they are breathing easier now that the most critical stage is behind them.

“She’s okay, she’s still in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), but you know she is a lot better than before and they have her on medication,” her father, Omar Samuels, told the
Jamaica Observer on Thursday.

“We haven’t had much sleep, but we’re okay, we’re feeling a bit better than yesterday. We are a bit more… relaxed because at least we’ve been through the surgery stage; now it’s the recovery. So we’re a bit more relaxed with the whole process now,” he added.

Samuels said he felt a weight lift off his shoulders about 7:00 pm Wednesday when he first received the news that his daughter had made it through the surgery.

“Going into surgery you can never tell what can happen, as I told you yesterday. So we were on our toes, nervous, which is understandable because everyone feels that kind of way when they’re going into surgery or when someone is in surgery because you never know the outcome. But now that she’s out, we’re a bit more relaxed and just waiting on her recovery,” he emphasised.

“They’re saying her pressure is a bit high still, so they’re trying to stabilise her by this evening… She’s also in and out of the dozing period because they still have medications on her, she’s still getting the IVs (intravenous fluids) and stuff and pain medications. So the pain medication is keeping her in a drowsy state. But she’s recognising our voice, she’s hearing, maybe can’t respond the way she wants to, but she opened her eyes, she sees us and it [medication] brings her back into a daze again,” he said.

Samuels shared that the experience has taken a toll on him and Allicia’s mother, Nadine Kelsey, but said he is counting down the days when he can return home to St Elizabeth with his little girl.

“She’ll be in the ICU room for about three days and then from there, if everything works out with the pressure — because that’s basically what they’re watching now — if everything works out, by Saturday or Sunday they’ll move her back on the ward where she’ll do actually a week before any release date can be told,” said Samuels.

Allicia’s mother expressed feeling a mixture of relief and lingering nervousness, but said her faith is growing stronger with each passing hour.

“I’m feeling okay, knowing that she has come out successfully. I’m more relaxed than before. I am still a little bit jittery, but better than before,” she told the
Jamaica Observer.

The mother said she’s now focused on helping her daughter recover, and is already thinking about the steps to get her back to school and to the joys of being a child again.

“I am looking forward to coming home, helping her to recover, getting her back in school, starting her life all over again, you know. But she’s on a journey right now,” she said.

Allicia Samuels underwent surgery to correct a narrowing of the aorta — the main artery that carries blood away from the heart — thanks to a generous $1.217 million donation from the Kiwanis Club Eastern Canada and Caribbean District (EC&C) to Chain of Hope Jamaica, which fully funded the procedure.

The family also received an additional $50,000 from the Kiwanis Club EC&C to assist with Allicia’s aftercare expenses once she is discharged from the hospital.

Chain of Hope Jamaica is an approved charitable organisation based at Bustamante Hospital for Children. Since its establishment in 2007, the organisation has built a reputation for developing a sustainable, local cardiac care service aimed at providing life-saving treatment for children with heart conditions.

A key part of its mission involves partnering with international donor groups to facilitate free medical missions at Bustamante Hospital Cardiac Centre. It also collaborates with corporate foundations, companies, humanitarian service clubs, and other supporters of the hospital to raise funds for cardiac surgeries.

To date, Chain of Hope Jamaica has assisted more than 1,000 children with heart conditions, facilitating over 650 cardiac procedures at no cost to families, while hosting approximately 60 cardiac missions and international clinical teams to support its work.

Nadine Kelsey in a warm embrace with her daughter Allicia Samuels.

Omar Samuels and his four-year-old Allica before she underwent heart surgery at Bustamante Hospital for Children on Wednesday.