Seth in a fight for his life

Eighteen-year-old Seth Cole, whose battle with an aggressive and rare form of cancer has been moving people around the world to act and donate, is now in Trinidad and Tobago receiving critical treatment.

Seth, accompanied by his mother Dawn, was transported to the twin-island republic by an air ambulance last Saturday evening, and started his first treatment of chemotherapy and radiation today, May 4, his maternal grandmother, Beverley Roett, told Barbados TODAY.

“He had it around 4 o’clock so he is sleeping right now. Hopefully everything will go fine from here on. He is in the right place where he needs to be. It was a bit of a challenge to get him there but we got him there,” Roett said.

To assist with his medical expenses, Seth’s relatives in Canada started a Go Fund Me page titled Fight for Seth.’ That fund has now amassed over $157 000, $43 000 short of $200 000 target set.

The teenager, who has been described as loving, kind and strong, does not have health insurance to cover the cost of his treatment, medication, hospital bill, and other necessary expenses.

Seth, a typical teenager who loves diving and working with his father Clint in the family business Bush Boys trimming trees, started to suffer from persistent headaches about a month ago when his doctor ordered him to have a cat scan on Monday, March 30.

That scan, additional tests, and a visit with the neurologist showed that Seth had a brain tumour and that he needed urgent surgery which took place on April 6.

Eighty per cent of the tumour was removed during the surgery; however, 20 per cent had to be left behind because it was attached to a major blood vessel.

According to relatives, Seth was able to go home on Thursday April 9 but had to be rushed back to the hospital two weeks later following a seizure which resulted in him being unable to use the right side of his body.

Pathology results revealed that Seth has been suffering from a stage 4 glioblastoma tumour, an illness which has taken a significant toll on his life.

Roett said that while she is now praying for the best outcome for her first grandchild who is the eldest of his parents’ seven children which include six boys, she must not forget to express gratitude to Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley for opening the borders in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to allow the young man to enter the island for treatment.

“We thank Trinidad for being absolutely awesome to us. We didn’t think that it would be possible but they have made it possible. I don’t have anything bad to say about how Trinidad handled it.

“The moment that they got the diplomatic paper or whatever it is called from our side, right away they approved it. The radiation equipment down there is more suited for the kind of treatment he has to receive,” Roett explained.

The grandmother said both Seth and his mother Dawn were tested for COVID-19 before they left the island and their results were negative. anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb