What began as a slight headache and dizziness at school for young Noi Jemmott quickly spiralled into every family’s worst nightmare.
Within days, 17-year-old Noi was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), an aggressive and fast-growing blood cancer that has abruptly shifted her life from the classroom to a hospital bed in Colombia, where she is now undergoing the first phase of specialised treatment.
But amid the fear, uncertainty and staggering medical costs, Noi’s father, Janson Jemmott, says one thing has stood out above all else – the extraordinary love and generosity of Barbadians.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY, an emotional Jemmott said the outpouring of support has been overwhelming and deeply humbling, restoring his faith in humanity at a time when his family is facing its darkest chapter.
Janson Jemmott embracing his daughter Noi Jemmott
“What this situation has shown me is that in a world where there’s a lot of bad things going on — wars all over the place, shootings, a lot of negative things — the one positive thing that I’ve seen is the amount of people that donated so far because of this,” he said. “I believe it’s driven by love. That is the one thing that I will take away from this.”
Fighting back tears, Jemmott said he has been moved beyond words by the compassion shown to his daughter, whose courageous battle has touched hearts across Barbados and beyond.
“The support has been great, and I want to thank everyone that has supported so far,” he said. “I am totally blown away with the support that we have got. It has made me feel so emotional.”
Noi left Barbados on Saturday morning and arrived in Colombia, where doctors are now carrying out extensive blood work to determine the exact subtype of leukaemia and the most effective treatment plan.
The financial burden, however, is immense. Jemmott revealed that more than US$100 000 ($200 000) has already been raised towards her care – a remarkable start – but far more will be needed in the months ahead.
“The first invoice they quoted was US$130 000 [$260 000], and that was for the first month,” he explained. “She’s going to be down there approximately anywhere between six months to a year. So it’s really hard right now to determine [the final cost]. The GoFundMe page has it at US$400 000 [$800 000], which would hopefully be sufficient, but again, we don’t know.”
For Jemmott, the diagnosis has been particularly painful because of the daughter he knows so well as kind-hearted and driven.
“My daughter, she’s a lovely young lady, and I’m not saying this because she is my daughter… I admire this little girl,” he said. “Every morning I drop her off at Community College and watch her going in, and I think she is such a nice little girl.”
“When I got this diagnosis, I was like, ‘Universe, what kind of joke is this? What am I supposed to learn from this?’ But through this whole thing, this little girl was strong… she still maintained who she was.”
ALL is an aggressive form of blood cancer that develops when immature white blood cells called lymphoblasts multiply rapidly in the bone marrow, crowding out healthy blood cells. It is the most common type of childhood leukaemia and can cause symptoms such as fatigue, frequent infections, unusual bruising or bleeding, bone pain and fever, often developing over days or weeks.
If left untreated, ALL progresses quickly, but modern treatments, usually involving intensive chemotherapy and sometimes targeted therapies or stem cell transplants, mean many children and adults now achieve long-term remission or cure.
As Noi continues her fight far from home, Jemmott has encouraged citizens to continue giving and lifting the family up in prayer. Those interested in donating can visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-noi-jemmott-fly-to-colombia-for-lifesaving-treatment.
(SB)
The post Family ‘overwhelmed’ by support as teen begins urgent treatment abroad appeared first on Barbados Today.
