STAR story sparks rescue - Help reaches sickle cell teen stranded after Melissa’s wrath

Just one day after this newspaper shone a light on the heartbreaking ordeal of 14-year-old Joel Wynter - the sickle cell warrior trapped in pain inside a storm-battered church - help finally found its way to his family.

The National Health Fund (NHF) yesterday confirmed that Wynter is one of approximately 250 patients who have received medical assistance across western Jamaica since Hurricane Melissa smashed into the island two weeks ago.

NHF CEO Everton Anderson said a mobile pharmacist team was immediately dispatched to Wynter's community after the story was published.

"A mobile pharmacist team was sent out to the family who attended to their medication needs," Anderson said.

"He and his family had health needs that needed to be addressed and we were able to help. The team continues to go out so I am sure we will do another check in at an appropriate time," Anderson said.

Wynter's story shone light on the ordeal being experienced by persons who have been displaced by Hurricane Melissa. The powerful Category 5 storm ripped off more than 120,000 roofs and affected 90,000 families in western Jamaica, according to the Office of Disaster Prepardness and Emergency Management. Wynter and his family were among the many displaced.

When THE STAR first visited Oxford, St Elizabeth, last week, the young teen lay curled on a thin mattress inside the dimly lit All Souls Anglican Church -- now a makeshift shelter for hurricane victims. His frail body burned with fever, every breath laced with agony as sickle cell pain gripped him without mercy.

Children murmured in sleep around him, but for Wynter, the sounds were swallowed by his own suffering.

"Him deh pon the mattress inna pain. All a we have sickle cell, but him worse," his mother, Mitzie Robinson, whispered then, her voice cracking with fear and exhaustion.

With the roads smashed, the community cut off, and their home destroyed, Robinson had no medication, no transportation - not even a Panadol to ease her son's torment.

"Mi nuh know what fi do again. Mi nuh have no food, no water, no medicine, not even a painkiller," she said. "Normally, mi woulda give dem Advil or Panadol, but mi nuh have nutten. Mi feel so helpless," she said.

That article caught the attention of several persons, among them Jenica Leah, director of the My Friend Jen Sickle Cell Foundation, who urgently alerted the Ministry of Health.

Members of the Jamaica Defence Force later helped locate the family amid the hurricane devastation.

Now, through the NHF's Mobile Pharmacy Service, relief is finally reaching persons like Wynter.

The Mobile Pharmacy Service ensures that people with chronic illnesses continue to get life-saving medication when fixed health facilities are damaged or unreachable.

Since the hurricane, NHF teams have been deployed daily across St Elizabeth, St James, Westmoreland, and Hanover, filling prescriptions in communities such as Black River, Spice Grove, Brampton, Maroon Town, Negril, and Little London.

"We are out every single day now in the parishes that are mostly affected," Anderson said.

"We are trying our best to reach the people who need medication at this time," he added.

Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, said the Mobile Pharmacy Service ensures that no patient is left behind.

"Many of our citizens depend on consistent access to medication for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma," he said.

"With the NHF's support, we are taking the pharmacy to the people directly into their communities to guarantee they receive the care they need," he added.