Ajanae’s tough road leads to triumph

Ajanae Parchment, the 11-year-old girl who underwent corrective surgery for severe scoliosis in November under challenging circumstances, is headed to St Hilda’s Diocesan High after scoring high in her Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams.

The young girl, who spoke to The Gleaner early Saturday, a day after receiving her results, said sitting the exams was challenging because her thoughts were consumed by the high-risk surgery she was expected to undergo in a matter of months and, after, on her recovery process.

READ: 11-y-o Ajanae to undergo high-risk scoliosis surgery today

“Before the exams, my mind was completely on the surgery and I was nervous and couldn’t think properly on the exams. But then I prayed to God and calmed down myself, drank some water, and completed my exams,” she said of the series of assessments administered in three components in grades four, five and six.

“I’m very happy that I’m attending [St Hilda’s]. It might not be the school that I wanted to attend, but then I remembered that I tried my best. If God wanted me to go to the school I wanted to attend, he would have put me there. But He chose to put me at St Hilda’s and I’m very grateful for that,” the Green Pond Primary and Infant School student said.

Her first choice was Montego Bay High School for Girls.

She tallied an overall 232.4 out of 280 for her Grade 6 Placement Contribution Score, 63.4 out of 80 for grade five, and 33 out of 40 for grade four.

In mathematics, she was determined to be proficient with a score of 311. For science and language arts, Ajanae achieved the same level of proficiency with scores of 315 and 338, respectively.

She was deemed highly proficient in social studies, scoring 332. In the ability test, she performed better than 36 per cent of her peers.

“I’m very proud of myself for [placing] at one of the top schools in Jamaica after doing a major surgery. I’m happy I made my family proud, especially my mom and dad who went through a lot to make sure I was alright and did the surgery,” she said.

Last year, The Gleaner reported that Ajanae’s surgery, which was initially scheduled for October 2024, was cancelled due to issues with the operating theatre at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC).

A United States team of doctors on an annual mission and one of Jamaica’s leading orthopaedic surgeons were to perform the surgery, but her mother, Sandra Aitcheson, told The Gleaner at that time that the surgeons could not operate because the operating theatre had mould, air-conditioning challenges, and was without the necessary equipment.

United States-based surgeon Dr Robert Brady, the team lead, decried the condition of the infrastructure at Jamaica’s public health facilities after he and his colleagues were forced to put off the life-changing surgery.

Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton arranged for the surgery, which was done a month later in November at the University Hospital of the West Indies.

“I am super proud of her. Seeing where she was coming from, from the hospital with the pain and the tears and the late night staying up, I’m very proud of her. She was out of school for most of the school term but did very well,” said Aitcheson.

She said Ajanae returned to school in January 2025 following the surgery but experienced some challenges after a classmate, who was playing, accidentally pushed her into a railing.

The young girl was subsequently homeschooled, working through materials her teacher sent and Lenox Bennett’s YouTube lessons. She returned to school days before the mental ability test in February.

Aitcheson said her daughter has progressed well mentally and physically since the surgery and has exceeded expectations in terms of her movement and motor skills.

“I’m speechless, joyful and super proud of her, especially knowing how she basically struggled. I’m so proud of her. I’ve told her to just continue to work hard, ‘I got you 100 per cent’,” said Ajanae’s father, Fitzroy Parchment, who lives overseas.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com