MONTEGO BAY, St James –

Gerald Raynor is worried. His two-year-old son, Ronaldo, was born with a hole in his heart and is in desperate need of getting to the St Petersburg Children’s Hospital in Florida to undergo surgery.

The group of doctors at the USA-based medical institution have offered to do the operation free and to also provide accomodation for the toddler and his father during their stay there.

But the father is now faced with another problem. He cannot afford to purchase the plane tickets which are $30,000 and $20,000 respectively. Rather than receiving the money in his hand, Raynor explained that he would prefer if he could receive sponsorship from an airline.

Raynor, who provided proof of his son’s plight in the form of a letter from the Cornwall Regional Hospital, said that although his son, who is also being treated at the Bustamante Children’s Hospital, is scheduled to undergo surgery at that local medical institution in November this year by a group of US doctors, free of cost, he wants an earlier appointment for several reasons.

Firstly, his son’s condition is deteriorating rapidly.

Secondly, he says the Bustamante Children’s Hospital would not provide accomodation and he does not have any connection in Kingston where he could stay in order to visit his son regularly.

“Bustamante says doctors are coming to do surgery in November but we are getting a better package from St Petersburg Children’s Hospital because they find accomodation for the patient and the surgery,” he said.