Blessing Taylor, 5, needs critical surgery

The parents of five-year-old Blessing Taylor are facing the daunting challenge of finding the money for major corrective surgery needed to address her rare medical condition.

Mellisa Henry Taylor and Ronald Taylor have to overcome the financial hurdle to get Blessing, the complex procedure that cannot be performed here.

The child has a laryngeal web — a rare congenital condition where thin membranes, referred to as webs, form across the larynx or voice box, obstructing the airway. In Blessing’s case, the condition has led to a severe narrowing of her airway and the webbing together of her vocal cords. This has significantly affected her ability to breathe properly and engage in typical childhood activities. 

The Taylors first discovered Blessing’s condition when she was diagnosed with a severe narrowing of her airway due to enlarged adenoids. Initially scheduled for surgery at the age of two to address the issue, the procedure had to be halted when doctors found her airway was even smaller than anticipated. Further examinations revealed that Blessing’s vocal cords were webbed together.

Owing to the complexity of her condition, the necessary corrective surgery is not available locally, prompting the Taylor family to seek specialised treatment in Texas. The upcoming procedure aims to remove the web and introduce a keel to separate Blessing’s vocal cords, offering hope for an improved quality of life.

Her mother Mellisa said: “We have been back and forth with the hospital, and we have now realised that the treatment our little angel needs is not available in Barbados. Blessings will have to travel to Texas to receive the much-needed surgery. This will be a major procedure as they have to open her airway by removing the web and placing a keel to separate her vocal cords. Thus, I am asking all of Barbados to assist with donating funds to help us get our daughter back to a state of normalcy.”

Blessing, a student at Gordon Walters Primary School, needs $80 000 for her treatment, and her parents are reaching out to the public for assistance. Mellisa, with tears in her eyes, shared the family’s difficult medical journey and appealed to both local and international communities for financial support.

She said: “My daughter Blessing is five years old and thus far it has been challenging and a scary journey trying to figure out what is wrong with her. Originally, she was diagnosed with a severe narrowing of her airway due to enlarged adenoids. My husband and I became more concerned when we were told that our daughter would have had to undergo major surgery at two years old as the doctors needed to remove her tonsils and adenoids to open her airway. The surgery was scheduled and about to begin but after the anaesthesiologist put her to sleep, they realised that her airway was even smaller than they expected. We were then given the shocking news that our daughter’s vocal cords are webbed together.”

Mellisa urged the public to contribute funds to facilitate Blessing’s journey toward a normal life. While efforts are underway to establish a bank account for donations, interested individuals can contact Mellisa at 1 246 253 7788 or 1 246 261 9892, or send donations via email to melissa.abbytaylor@gmail.com or tashaniclarke49@gmail.com.

The Taylor family expressed hope that the community’s generosity will provide Blessing with the necessary resources for her life-changing surgery. (PR/BT)