rishard.khan@guardian.co.tt
Guardian Media radio engineer Guy Emberru, 56, needs to raise $1 million for life-saving Leukaemia treatment in the United Kingdom. His family, who is nowhere near the amount despite several fund-raising attempts, is now relying on the public’s kindness to help get him the treatment he needs.
Karen Emberru said her husband of 27 years needs treatment for his acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) but raising the money is difficult.
“The gofundme page is there for everyone to see, I think we raised about $25,000 on that and... from fundraisers and stuff, we had raised above $60,000 to $70,000,” she said.
Including their savings, this rounds out the effort at around $100,000 - just 10 per cent of what they need.
“Every day you get up you thinking Guy’s not going to be here tomorrow or he may not make it, but you have to have hope and then you think how you going to get the money in order for when they call for this test?” she said.
She said they most recently attempted a cake sale to help raise the funds. However, while she is grateful to those who supported, when the books were settled the cakes cost more than the revenue it earned them. She said she understands the economic hardships many are facing in the country but still asks for their help.
“We are asking help because we can’t raise the funds for ourselves,” she said.
Although he is currently in remission, Karen says there is a strong possibility the cancer will come back because he didn’t complete his chemotherapy. His family fears if or when it comes back, his battle-weary body will not be able to fend it off, especially in light of his narrow escape from death the first time.
Guy suddenly fell ill in November and was diagnosed with AML shortly after.
Karen said they hope he can leave for the UK hospital in short order, where he will restart his chemotherapy, following which it will be determined if he requires a bone marrow transplant.
“They’re just waiting for him to come. You can imagine that doing any treatment abroad is going to be really plenty money. And you’re talking about acute leukaemia, which means there’s a possibility of him having to have a bone marrow transplant as well and a bone marrow transplant cannot be done in Trinidad,” she said.
His chemotherapy in T&T was cut short when his condition suddenly deteriorated.
“When they started the chemo, I don’t know what happened. He got really sick. One night we were home and they called us and told us we needed to come to the hospital immediately. He was just passing clots and clots of blood and they rushed him to ICU and in ICU... when he was there, he ended up on a ventilator, they had to restart his heart twice. He was in a terrible (condition). He didn’t even know us and he had no memory of it,” she recalled.
“If you had seen Guy how he was, Guy came down to skin and bones and if you had seen how he was, I can only say that was a miracle. I cannot understand how he survived that, to come back from there - that is a miracle in itself and I thank God for that.”
While he was sent home from hospital in April, Guy is not the same man he was. For one, his energy levels are depleted. He now has a bedroom on the house’s ground floor so he does not have the climb the stairs.
However, having lived his entire life an active person, his wife said she often has to remind him there are certain things he cannot still do, as the doctors have said.
“He still wants to go outside and cut the grass, he wants to go and sweep downstairs, and you can’t put your body through that. You’re going to put strain on it - that’s the argument we have constantly, all the time. He feels he can do everything, he’s not like how he was before,” she said.
But while his body may be worse for wear, his spirit certainly isn’t, as he maintained his broad smile during the visit to his home.
“Smiling is the most important for everybody, no matter how difficult things, no matter how you going through work... you have to smile,” Guy said.
Guy remains optimistic that the public will pull through and help him afford the treatment.
“I’ve always asked God... anytime I want something I ask Him for it and he’s always given it to me, always. I can tell you that from the time we got married, to before we got married, after we got married, anytime I ask him for something I’ve always been given it. So, something will always come that will assist me along the way,” he said.
“If we don’t raise the money, something will definitely happen that I will be able to go through the treatment without a problem.”
Karen said whatever excess money they have after the treatment; they will donate it to a local charity to assist others like Guy.
Anyone wanting to contribute can call Karen at 362-8487.
Donations can be made to https://fundmetnt.com/campaign/help-guy-fight-leukaemia
Bank deposits can also be made to: Guy Douglas Emberu 10008 317 150 3353 Saving Account RBC Royal Bank
According to the National Cancer Institute, acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. This type of cancer usually gets worse quickly if it is not treated. The early signs and symptoms of AML may be like those caused by the flu or other common diseases. These include weakness, fever, infection, paleness or loss of normal skin colour and bleeding.
