WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — A Westmoreland family still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Melissa are appealing to the public for assistance to save the life of their 13-year-old son who has been diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease.

Jarel Gordon was diagnosed late last year after becoming seriously ill and was transported by ambulance from Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital to the University Hospital of the West Indies on October 1 to begin dialysis treatment. He now requires a kidney transplant, which AdventHealth Hospital in Orlando, Florida, has agreed to perform, with his father as the donor. However, the family must raise US$170,000 to cover the cost of the life-saving procedure.

Once an energetic teenager who loved playing football and caring for his animals, Jarel’s life has been drastically altered by the illness, even affecting his eyesight.

“His eyesight is dark when the night comes; he cannot see well, and he cannot see to read. For instance, if you give him a textbook to read, he cannot see the words; all he is seeing is the lines going across,” his mother, Vanessa Ebanks, told Observer Online.

Jarel undergoes dialysis two to three times each week and is unable to attend school due to the demanding treatment schedule and the frequent travel between Kingston and Westmoreland. The family currently stays with relatives in Kingston during the week so he can access care.

Compounding his suffering, Jarel sustained nerve damage to his left hand following a failed IV insertion during his hospital stay. The swelling lasted for weeks, permanently damaging the nerves and leaving his fingers hooked. As a result, his mother now assists him with basic daily care, including bathing.

Jarel undergoes dialysis two to three times each week and is unable to attend school.

“He just wants to get over his sickness because he is not used to it, he is not used to not being able to drink, not being able to eat certain food,” Ebanks noted.

The family’s financial situation has worsened since the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa on October 28. Ebanks lost her job after her workplace was destroyed and looted, while her husband’s seafood business has been unable to operate due to prolonged power outages. Several relatives also lost their roofs during the storm.

But despite this, the mother remains hopeful.

“All our heart is to see our son get better and to be back in school and living as normal as he can be…We have been praying and trusting God that God will soon deliver him out of all of this because we keep on praying for him and we keep on trusting God that he’ll soon get to do a transplant because that’s what we are raising the funds to do, to get him a surgery done,” she explained.

So far, US$16,463 has been raised through GoFundMe, but much more is needed.

“We are humbly asking for your help to make this life-saving surgery possible…No amount is too small, and every act of kindness brings us closer to giving Jarel the chance to live, laugh and grow up healthy again,” Ebanks said via his GoFundMe campaign.

Donations can be made at https://gofund.me/e7fc08a13 or by bank transfer to the Bank of Nova Scotia, Negril Branch, account name Sandy Ebanks, account number 844201.