“I will not give up. I will keep on fighting.” Words of youth who fought to the end with tumor
Christopher Bowman
In this newscast from time to time, we have shared the story of the courageous Christopher Bowman. For fourteen years he battled a tumor on his chest that progressively spread to his side and back that paralyzed him. About a month and a half ago, he was optimistic with a round of surgery in the US. But at the beginning of this week, Chris fell ill and on Tuesday night he took his last breath. News Five’s Andrea Polanco has the final chapter of his life.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
On May tenth of this year we spoke to a very upbeat and healthier looking Christopher Bowman after he returned from the U.S from his first surgery.
Chris Bowman, Has Rare Tumor [File, May 10, 2011]
“Ah feel much betta cause everybody glad fi si mi when ah come back right and if yuh notice my chest look different ever since I come back from surgery right suh I feel alright.”
Odessa Orosco, Mother
“Ah suh happy fi mi bwai men ah suh happy fi ah, cause he look plenty different from how he was before and when I watch ih chest, ih chest gone done plenty, ih nuh dat big than how ih mi deh like wah basketball ih nuh look like that again ih di guh down.”
And since that time Chris had been faring off well, but on Monday evening he fell ill complaining of breathing complications and pain in the chest area and he was taken to the KHMH.
Odessa Orosco, Mother of the deceased
“Deh run some test with Chris, the test come in stating that Chris going to be all right. Suh I neva mi di trip then at the time.”
Andrea Polanco
“Was he talking to you, what was he saying?”
Odessa Orosco
Odessa Orosco
“I ask ah, I keep on asking him how he feel and ih tell mi ‘pain, pain, pain.”
Andrea Polanco
“Pain where?”
Odessa Orosco
“Inna the pahn weh ih get the procedures done.”
But on Tuesday, Bowman’s battle with his tumor took a turn for the worse, although the tests didn’t show anything.
Odessa Orosco
“The heart nuh just wah stop beat fast.”
Andrea Polanco
“Did Chris tell you anything if he had any pain if he, what was his condition at that time?”
Odessa Orosco
“Ih seh ‘mommy’ ih seh ‘pain’ ih seh ‘ah cyaa breathe, ah cyaa breathe’. Then Chris start ah cold sweat, ih sweat, ih sweat, ih sweat and then Chris start ah feel cold, cold, cold. But when Docta Coyi come he check ah thing and he duh wah EKG pahn ah and then run some more test afta test afta.”
Andrea Polanco
“Miss Odessa, those tests were they showing anything abnormal, anything apart from the tumor that he already had?”
Odessa Orosco
“No ma’am.”
Andrea Polanco
“Everything seemed normal?”
Odessa Orosco
“Everything, the vitals okay but the heart nuh wah stop beat fast, fast, fast.”
But in a matter of minutes sometime shortly before eight, Bowman’s battle with his tumor ended. One of the blood vessels forming part of the malformation ruptured and caused excessive bleeding; this was foreseen as one of the complications of his advanced condition. Chris is best remembered for his unshakeable optimistic outlook on life even when he had a tumor the size of a basketball in his chest and later when he couldn’t walk
Christopher Bowman [File, Dec 10, 2010]
“I am pleading to people for more support cause I want done weh with this thing fin oh mek it get worse and kill me. I am restless at night. Sometime I even cry in my sleep that I noh wah get this better. I will not give up. I will keep on fighting. I got some lot of friends the help me out dah states, but this thing takes time and I can’t rush it. I am only twenty-three. I fight this for ten years gwen fi thirteen years I di fight it fah. I have some people that pray for me. You know they say praying helps and put your trust in god and everything will come good for you. So I believe he will open a way for me, if I just keep my faith up and noh give up and keep on fighting.”
Christopher Bowman [File, Jan 24, 2011]
“I di fight with all my life right now just fi be wah happy person without dis curse eena my chest cause I dah wah fighter yuh know. I nuh wah give up.”
Christopher Bowman [File, May 10, 2011]
“Just haffi si weh ah happen with the grace of God yuh nuh that’s all I cud seh. To me I nuh really di worry yuh nuh I di fight with all I have eena dis wheel chair right now.”
Chris Bowman, who was twenty four years old, battled his tumor for fourteen years. Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
Orosco says that Bowman was supposed to be visited by his doctor from the U.S sometime next month but that trip was called off. He will be laid to rest at two p.m. on Friday.
Sad to see a positive youth gone this early.
But I feel contented because the brethren was a GOD fearing young man.
It seems that he spent his 24 years on earth being a light to the world.
One of the few bright spots in the Belizean ghettos. To be more specific Conch Shell Bay.
Here we had a youth with a natural illness fighting to stay alive with all he was suffering with.
Then we have our healthy Belizean brothers and even more so Black brethrens who is on a genocidal mission to alienate their fellow brethrens over some turf war bs.
Wake up Belize its June 29, 2011. Where did we go wrong?
Only GOD can help us now.
R.I.P Chris Bowman. His mother will probably have to use her daughter (only child left) now to exploit.She could’ve helped that kid from the beginning but was spending most of the money that was being donated to him.I have no respect for that woman. Then she have the nerve to always get on TV and crying like she was giving her all.He was nothing to her but a meal ticket. God knows why he took that little boy home.He got tired of the abuse and mistreatment.
My condolences to the family. this is what barrow should be focusing on , health care for the poor people. instead he is trying to take over BTL and BEL and giving his ex-wife money to fight these losing battles. all that money she got for prosecuting no win cases could have been use to help out this young man and his sickness. how much more of use need to suffer from illness before you take a real good look and the healthcare system in Belize and try to fix it so that it works for the poor people. Try and focus on the real issues that are plaguing Belize and stop fighting losing battles that don’t make any sense.
@ U R Sick!……well said, everyone who really know the story behind Christopher’s life and family history can vouch for that. It’s not false aspersions but raw facts. Despite the fact that we sympathize with the family on their loss, God knows best and saw it fit to take the poor kid out of his misery and shut down the mother’s gravy train. What a travesty!
Well said U R Sick, God knows best!
my respect for chris, bro you’re a youth who strived in life to be positive but Jah had a better plan God knows better and we feel the pain as a belizean brother and as a youth who tried and never gave up the fight. while we see the youths who are healthy kill with no sense and remorse for nothing than ego and lack of self esteem, no respect for themselves and others. may the Lord hold you in your arms and rest in peace bro.
how wonderful would it be to see our youths be positive but mein this youths are like ferocious animals lerking in the streets with thirst of blood looking for a human to devour for self pleasure of killing and ego. jeez we really stand bad and we all need to bring out our kids to see the truth of what life is now and what they can live in the future if the follow the good life guide lines.