`The stranger was sent by God to save my child'
... accident victim's mother maintains By Shirley Thomas
Guyana Chronicle
July 17, 2002

Related Links: Articles on race
Letters Menu Archival Menu



THE mother of nine-year-old Nickace Charles who was last Thursday struck down by a mini-bus on the Mahaica public road, East Coast Demerara, says she is convinced that the stranger who picked her daughter up and breathed life into her, was sent by God to save her.

Affirming that nothing can convince her to the contrary, the child's mother, Rhonda Murray yesterday said that what was amazing, and convinced her even more, was that when the doctors at the Georgetown Hospital opened the child's hands, there in the left palm were the words - freshly written: "I love God and Jesus very much."

For this reason, she said she felt that had Nickace died, she would have gone to be with the Lord, as that would have been her final act of submission to God before parting this life.

She vows that this experience would bring her (Rhonda) even closer to God.

Asserting that Nickace loves God with a passion, she said that the child is always praying and reading the Holy Bible.

She goes to Sunday school as well, and they are members of the Wesleyan Holiness Church.

Rhonda said that the child had apparently written the words in her left palm before leaving home to go on an errand that morning, but met with the accident before getting to her grandmother's home where she was sent.

In fact, she said, what the family found out, following the accident, was that the persons on the scene all thought that she was dead, and that was why no one dared to touch her before the Police got there.

Rhonda said that since it seemed that they were all of one accord, God decided on using someone whose decision would not be influenced by those who had 'lost faith'.

Repeatedly remarking how awesome God is, she said that instead of leaving her daughter before a fainting crowd, God mysteriously sent someone with instructions on what to do to save her life, and the messenger, Tekchand also called 'Ome', did not question God, but responded promptly and obediently.

On seeing the crowd, he disembarked from a mini-bus, and on learning that someone had been struck down by a bus and was lying on the road, he made his way to where the accident victim was.

On seeing her limp and almost lifeless body, he proceeded to apply his first aid skills, and rendered artificial resuscitation (mouth-to-mouth respiration).

His next move was to place the injured child in the bus and demand that the driver take them to hospital, the mother said.

And even after the Policeman who eventually arrived at the hospital, as well as the driver of the offending bus left the hospital, Tekchand stayed around until treatment of the child had commenced, she said.

The child is recovering favourably but still hospitalised and confined to bed.

She is conscious and responding to treatment, but is wearing a brace around her neck, has abrasions to her face and a black ring around the right eye.

Her mother is still anxious and praying there are no internal clots, for she recalls that there was a huge swelling to the right side of the forehead, and both eyes were concealed. Now that the swelling has gone down there is a black circle around the right eye.

Rhonda said that at times, the child would cry out, but is grateful to the staff at the hospital for doing a good job.

Looking back over the last week, she said it was almost traumatic.

Whatever trauma might have been done to the brain is causing the child to behave strangely, sometimes, and so her mother has opted to stay around and render what help she could.

Ever since Nickace's admission to the hospital, her mother has not returned home to Mahaica.

She has been sitting on a hospital bench by day and making the best use of the hospital facilities.

And even when her relatives bring her food, the child's mother still would not eat.
Within the first five days she lost a whopping 22 pounds.