J’can Samaritan in Singapore gifts $1m to teen with renal failure
Published:Tuesday | February 4, 2025 | 12:05 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
Inspired by Charlotte Nembhard’s selflessness in her bid to save her teenage son, who has been diagnosed with renal failure, a Jamaican woman living in Singapore has donated $1 million towards the teenager’s medical expenses.
“I was really moved by the story,” Ka-el Geewax told The Gleaner on Monday. “I am a mom myself and I know what it’s like to see a child struggling and feeling somewhat helpless, and I was really moved by her determination to help her son. She seemed like a fighter and I wanted to support her in that fight.”
Last December, The Sunday Gleaner shared the story of the 36-year-old single mother and her wish to give one of her kidneys to her son, 16-year-old Carl Blake, who was born with kidney disease.
Spending most of his life going in and out of hospitals, Carl had grown despondent with his condition, which was exacerbated by more than $1.4 million in medical debt.
Shortly after the story was published, Nembhard received a $200,000 donation from the NCB Foundation, through its Grant a Wish programme. This money was used to fund a surgery to remove a catheter from Carl’s stomach.
Support also came from the Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation, and Carl’s school, Wolmer’s Boys’ School, organised a fundraiser to assist with the medical bills.
However, nothing prepared Nembhard for the astonishing gesture of Geewax’s donation. The act of kindness brought her to tears.
“I was lost for words. I couldn’t speak for a while,” she said of the moment Geewax called her to share her intention last week. “When I said it to Carl, he cried so hard that the doctor called me and asked me what happened to Carl ... . He said, ‘Mommy, somebody really did that for me? Somebody really helping me like this?’”
For Geewax, being able to make a real difference in someone’s life holds profound meaning. She told The Gleaner that having been raised in a family known for their generosity, she has always felt inspired to give back.
After relocating to Singapore five years ago with her husband, J.J. Geewax, a software engineer at Meta, the former marketer said she wanted to find ways to help other Jamaicans improve their quality of life.
Last year, she donated $2 million worth of life-saving equipment to the maternal healthcare unit at the Princess Margaret Hospital in St Thomas. The donation included a cardiotocography (CTG) machine to enhance monitoring for mothers and babies during pregnancy and childbirth, making deliveries safer and healthier.
FOUNDATION FOR PROJECTS
Currently, she is in the process of establishing a foundation, which she said will be used to fund projects in healthcare and education in Jamaica.
“I know that obviously a donation to one individual is a drop in the bucket, ... but it’s one person that has one less thing to worry about and I am hoping to create a sense of community and giving, and that spirit of just helping each other in giving. If I am able to contribute in some way to help in that sense of giving and feeling good about giving, it’s a start,” she said.
Nembhard, in the meantime, said she is preparing to do some tests next week to find out whether her kidney is a match for Carl.
And although a kidney transplant surgery would be very expensive, Nembhard is remaining optimistic that if doctors give her the go-ahead, when the time comes for the surgery, the funds will be available, too.
“All I know is that God is good, and He never leaves us nor forsakes us, and He keeps proving that to me time and time again,” she said.