Westmoreland burn victim undergoes more life-saving operations
Published:Monday | September 26, 2022 | 1:00 PM
Thirteen-year old Adrianna Laing, who suffered life threatening burns when her Westmoreland home caught fire, continues to undergo life-saving operations at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia
Stephen Josephs, the project manager of Sanmerna Foundation, which has played a major role in getting help for Adrianna, told The Gleaner that, so far, she has undergone eight operations.
He said that about 90 per cent of the burnt areas on her body have been covered and within a two- month period reconstructive surgery should begin
“She is a fighter and has been fighting through this ordeal,” Josephs told The Gleaner.
Josephs said that the doctors treating her are not yet ready to provide updates.
Adrianna is being cared for by lead doctor, Zaheed Hassan, at the Joseph M Still Burn Center in Atlanta.
She was flown to the United States for treatment after members of the Diaspora and people and companies in Jamaica rallied to secure the necessary funding for her transportation.
Josephs has been given temporary guardianship of Adrianna and is authorised to make decisions on behalf of her father during her hospital stay.
He said that reggae music is being played in her hospital room as a means of providing comfort to her. Also played to her at her bedside are voicenotes sent by schoolmates and other well-wishers.
Josephs has thanked all those who have rallied to provide assistance to Adrianna.
At the same time Jamaica's Consul General in Miami, Oliver Mair, under whose jurisdiction Georgia falls, has also been monitoring her progress and has been providing updates to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mair tells The Gleaner that he is in daily contact with both Josephs and the hospital.
Adrianna was severely burnt in a Westmoreland house fire earlier this month that killed her three brothers, nine-year-old Adrianno Laing and seven-year-old twins Jorden and Jayden Laing.
- Lester Hinds
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