10-year-old cancer patient needs prosthetic leg

Life as 10-year-old Salem Primary and Junior High student Javier Forrester knew it changed on September 29, last year, when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

Young Forrester, a resident of the Beeston Spring community in Westmoreland, was described by his mother Ieshia Vickers, as the perfect child.

“He was the child every parent wants; he was very active, caring and loving. He played sports. He also loved going to school,” she said.

Vickers explained that her son was playing outside in the yard when he twisted his ankle. Days later, he began feeling sharp pains, which they thought was only a sprain. The family treated the injury as a sprain and applied topical muscle rubs, but the swelling and pain would not go away, so they brought him to the hospital.

“We took him to the hospital, and they said we should take him to the health centre because the injury wasn't new. The following week, I brought him to the private practitioner and that was when everything changed,” said Vickers.

“He was sent to do an X-ray and when we brought back the results, they referred him to a bone specialist due to abnormalities in the results. After visiting the bone specialist, he was admitted at the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital, where they did a CT (computerised tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan and a biopsy,” she added.

The biopsy later revealed the unexpected; Forrester was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which is a type of bone cancer that generally affects young children and adolescents.

Two days after being diagnosed, Forrester's left leg was amputated, as doctors said the cancer had already begun spreading to different muscle groups in the leg.

According to his mother, Forrester has maintained a positive attitude throughout his diagnosis.

“He is not too bad but since he is on the chemotherapy, he is a little weak; sometimes he doesn't eat and he feels nauseated but, you know, after the chemo he will come around a bit. Through everything though, he is happy,” she told the Jamaica Observer West.

“He just wishes he could go back to school with his friends. His school reopened for face-to-face classes, but he is doing online school.”

To bring her son back to a level of “normalcy”, Vickers is appealing for the public's assistance in purchasing a prosthetic leg for him.

“I just want some help so he could live a close to normal life. He is pretty young, and he is really trying, and he wants to go back to school. I would greatly appreciate any donations I get because I really want him to have a normal childhood,” she said. Read the full article here (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/observer-west/10-ye...)

The total cost of the prothesis leg along with quarterly test and treatment is estimated to be 9,111 USD or 1,230,000 JMD.

That's broken down as 750,000 JMD (5,555 USD) for the prothesis and 480,000 JMD (3,555USD) for quarterly treatments.

-------------------------- HOW TO SUPPORT: ---------------------------

IN USA...

Deposit at... CHASE BANK
Name: ieshia tanesha Vickers
Account # 363226850
Routing# 122100024

Or https://assets.gogetfunding.com/10-year-old-cancer-patient-needs-prosthetic-leg/

You may also contact his mother, Ieshia Vickers at 876- 863-2640 or 876-856-5089, email at [email protected], for additional information.