Givorny’s father makes an appeal for help

A month and a half after he was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run accident, Givorny Nimblett of the Thomas Saunders Secondary School now requires intensive neurological rehabilitation.{{more}}

To help defray the cost, his father George Byron of Overland has set up the Givorny Nimblett Medical Fund at the National Commercial Bank (SVG) Ltd and is appealing to the public to give assistance at Account Number: 2111371.

All was well with Givorny until the fateful day, Wednesday, January 12. This is when the first form student, who resided at Fountain, was knocked down just a few yards away from his home, by motor vehicle PR719, owned by Williams Agencies of Kingstown.

He was immediately rendered unconscious and was rushed to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH).

A Medical Summary prepared by John Gill, Consultant/Neurosurgeon of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados, disclosed that Givorny was transferred to that hospital for evaluation of traumatic brain injury, a fracture of the distal left humerus, severe abrasion of the anterior abdominal wall and contusion of the lungs that was complicated by bilateral pneumonic consolidation.

The adolescent is said to have spent several days in a coma.

Gill, in his summary, also gave details of Givorny’s clinical progression. He stated that his sedation was temporarily discontinued in order to perform a neurological evaluation.

“The child opened his eyes to pain and flexed the right upper limb in response to a painful stimulus. He was re-sedated, the plan being to wean from the ventilator in a controlled manner,” Gill noted.

Givorny is said to be opening his eyes spontaneously, but has made no attempt to communicate.

The report also showed that he is having seizures, but this is controlled by medication. He is also suffering from high blood pressure.

Gill, in his recommendation, suggested that, despite Givorny’s current condition, the appropriate rehabilitative inputs are likely to result in improvement of his condition and enhancement of his progress.

“It is likely that initially he will manifest significant physical and cognitive impairment. It is hoped that his youth, and the neuroplastic response to rehabilitation, will serve to mitigate the effect of his injury,” Gill outlined in the report.

Givorny’s father, in his appeal to the public on Tuesday, February 22, said he is hoping that his son can benefit from the bilateral relations between this country and Cuba to get rehabilitative care there.

Byron told SEARCHLIGHT that his son will need long-term medical attention, which he cannot afford with his salary as a site attendant working with the National Parks, Rivers & Beaches Authority.

“My son would need long-term medical attention when he gets back on his feet. He would have to go back to doctors to get medical attention. This is a life long threat to his life, especially since his brain stem is damaged,” said Byron.

“I won’t be able to upkeep the medical attention that is required for my son, while he is living with these kinds of traumas about his body. Knowing that, I will not be able to fund that kind of money; that’s why I am asking for assistance,” said Byron.

Byron expressed gratitude to the Government of St.Vincent and the Grenadines and to Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves for providing an air ambulance to transfer his son to Barbados, as well as financing Givorney’s medical care and Byron’s stay in Barbados.

Coville “Smallie” Jackson of Mesopotamia was arrested by the police in connection with the incident.(HN)