Family Makes Appeal for Medical Help!
A Belize City family is appealing to the public for assistance to help save their loved one’s life. The Chaman family on Iguana Street says that a family member has been sick for more than a year and they have been drowning in medical bills. Although they have spent a lot of money over the past fifteen months, they say that they now need to go overseas to get help for their loved one. News Five visited the family today to share their plight. Here’s the story.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Twenty-year-old Axel Chaman looks like any other young man playing a video game. But the truth is it’s taking all of his strength to sit up and enjoy his game. Axel has been in a fight to survive ever since he fell sick in March 2019. He was suddenly diagnosed with a blood condition in May2019 –and a year and a half later he is no closer to getting better. Edwin Chaman is Axel’s brother.
Edwin Chaman
Edwin Chaman, Brother
“He has a kind of blood problem that no matter how many times he actually gets blood; medication he gets his blood level never goes up. It does go up sometimes but then in about a month or three weeks time it goes down again. And when that happens he has to go the emergency again and spend three days or up to four days to get a blood transfusion again so that it can actually go up again.”
Axel’s blood level keeps plummeting dangerously low – sometimes right down to two. He has seen doctorsin Belize, Chetumal and Merida. They have all been unable to determine what’s causing the issue. So, he spends most of his time hospitalized, on a string of prescribed medication or at times getting a blood transfusion.
Ivis Chaman
Ivis Chaman, Mother
“My son is taking that medicine from last year July but he has been in the hospital how many times?”
Edwin Chaman
“Honestly, we have lost count because most of the time he has been in the hospital and barely any time at home. The only reason he is at home right now is because of COVID-19. The doctors explained to us that most places right now they don’t know what can be the cause or the problem that he has this. He also explained to us that he doesn’t know if it comes from an animal; bacteria or if it genetics passed down from family members.”
And just like that Axel went from being a vibrant student with a part-time job to being a sickly young man who spends most of his time in bed because he is unable to walk even for a few minutes. He has had to quit school and put his dreams on hold until his health improves.
Axel Chaman
Axel Chaman, Patient
“I can’t do anything these days especially now that I just took another test and my blood has dropped to four point eight and that is extremely low. Now I can’t walk that far distance like right here to the front gate, I cannot. I can’t go to school anymore and I basically became a drop out. I was actually studying to become a chef but now in this condition I am I can’t do nothing like that.”
Andrea Polanco
“I imagine you haven’t given up on those dreams?”
Axel Chaman
“I haven’t given up but it is a struggle right now.”
The family is struggling to keep him alive. The mounting medical bills and high cost of medication have drained the family’s finances. They have had to sell their home and cut their living expenses to buy medication from abroad. Ivy Chaman has quit her job to care for her son, while Edwin, the sole provider, is doing everything he can to keep the family afloat on his wages.
Edwin Chaman
“Most of the time these medication we cannot get it from overseas or if not from Mexico and majority of the time when we get it costs about one grand and then we have to pay shipping and handling and that itself is about five hundred dollars and if we don’t get the five hundred dollars for that specific day we lose the medication and they receive it back. The only person working right now is me and with my current job that I have, the money I receive every week cannot cover everything. It’s not just one medication he drinks, he drinks up to seven.”
Now they are seeking the public’s help to try to get Axel to the U.S.A. for further medical tests and treatment. It’s a doctor’s recommendation – but one that they simply can’t afford. They estimate that the costs are in the thousands of dollars – money they need to get before they travel.
Ivis Chaman
“I called the embassy and they told me that I need to pay ahead like ten thousand U.S. dollars just to have the bill from the hospital. The hospital told me the last time if they don’t treat axel in Los Angeles and he doesn’t get better what will you do? You are only spending money. This is an answer I don’t have because Axel is my son.”
Andrea Polanco
“Are you scared that if he doesn’t get the help he needs he will die?”
Ivis Chaman
“The doctor said that – that he doesn’t want to lie to me but it is hard for me to explain.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
If you would like to assist Axel Chaman, you can call 633-0053 or 601-2042.
