Tiny heart in big battle - Baby Amara needs US$99K for life-saving surgery

Barely a month old, Amara Williams is fighting for her life. Born with a rare heart defect, she has just two weeks left to undergo a life-saving surgery that cannot be performed in Jamaica--a procedure her parents cannot afford without urgent help.

Baby Williams, born on August 7, has been diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). Doctors at the Bustamante Hospital for Children explained that the surgery must take place within the first six weeks of life, before her fragile heart begins to fail.

TGA is a serious condition in which the two main arteries leaving the heart are reversed, causing oxygen-poor blood to circulate through the body while oxygen-rich blood remains trapped in the lungs. Without surgical correction, the defect can quickly lead to heart failure, severe complications, or even death within weeks of birth.

For her mother, 30-year-old teacher Shanese Morgan, the diagnosis was devastating. She recalls the moment doctors first suspected something was wrong.

"When I was pregnant they did ultrasounds and noticed there was some anomaly with the heart," she said. "They weren't fully clear because of the ultrasound, but after birth when she was transferred to Bustamante Hospital -- because I had her at Victoria Jubilee -- they did the echogram and all of that. They realised that she has two holes in her heart and the whole TGA thing. Her case is very complex."

It was only after delivery that the condition was confirmed.

"They reached out to so many hospitals who said they couldn't take the case, so we started looking for others," the mother said.

Since birth, Baby Williams has battled infections and remains on medication to regulate her breathing.

"I was also told that the first six weeks of life would be the best time to get the surgery," her mother said. "Because after a while the heart may not be able to function as how it is doing now because it's not in its correct place. They suggested that we try to get the surgery done before her conditions start to deteriorate."

According to her medical report, doctors have recommended an Arterial Switch Operation (ASO). This surgery would correct the position of her arteries and repair associated defects, including the two holes in her heart and a patent ductus arteriosus. Health City Cayman Islands, one of the nearest facilities capable of performing the operation, quoted US$99,000 (approximately J$15.8 million), covering up to seven days of hospitalisation, surgical team fees, ICU care, medications, and airport transfers.

Morgan revealed that a children's hospital in Orlando, Florida, initially accepted Amara's case, but the cost was US$1.5 million, far beyond the family's reach. While the Cayman Islands option is more affordable, it still remains out of reach.

"To be honest, the first two weeks I know I was battling deep depression," the mother admitted. "Sometimes I'd be in the hospital room during visiting hours, and I would just sit and look at my baby. I was scared to touch her because I was wondering, what if I create this bond and tomorrow when I come they tell me that my baby girl didn't make it? It really had a very bad effect, but with prayers I think I'm recovering slowly from the whole depressive episode."

The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign, https://gofund.me/a902865b, but so far has raised just over US$$2,000 of the US$20,000 target.

"My current financial situation, I am not able to readily provide the surgery, that's way beyond my monthly teacher salary," Morgan told THE STAR. "That also adds to how I feel, but we are trying as a family to raise the funds any way possible."

She also voiced frustration over the lack of local options. "I remember when I was ready to deliver I asked, why is the government promoting us to have children to increase the birth rate, and there are no services here in the case a child is born with a situation like this?"

The child's father, 43-year-old Andrew Williams, described the journey as heartbreaking. "All of this journey has been difficult, there is no easy part," he said. "Every day when me supposed to go to the hospital and me see Amara, me affi try my very best to stay strong. The first time me see her, she was born on the 7th and I got to see her on the 8th. Them whisk her away, and when I finally see her, me stand up and mi break down. She was full of strings with oxygen and all kind of IV on her, and nobody want to see their kids like that."

Andrew said the financial burden is overwhelming, but he remains determined. "When I see the quote it nuh make me feel so good at all, but I try to stay as positive as I can and fight, because that's what our baby deserves, for her parents to fight."

Both parents agree their focus must remain on saving Amara's life. "It's a new beginning, a new journey, a new path," Andrew said. "We have to give God thanks and continue supporting her, encouraging her to do her endeavour best."

As the clock ticks toward the six-week deadline, the family is pleading for urgent help. "We hope the GoFundMe hits the goal," Andrew said. "We are just asking the public to help us give our baby girl a chance at life."

You can help save young Amara's life by making donations to: https://gofund.me/a902865b