Gospel artiste Nicky J is encouraging patrons to attend and support her gospel concert, 'Shekinah: A Jamaican Worship Event', as the proceeds accrued will be used to start a foundation to aid her son, as well as other children suffering from tibial hemimelia.

The event is scheduled for Saturday at 6:30 p.m., at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church, 12 Slipe Road, and will feature artistes such as Omari, Ziggy Soul, Danever Scott, Tina Haber, Issabel Blagrove, Keesa Peart and Nicky J, whose real name is Nicolette Rowe-Johnson.

General admission is $500, $600 for selected areas and $800 reserved.

Tibial Hemimelia, according to the website www.step-charity.com, is a partial or total absence of the tibia and is the rarest form of lower-limb deficiency that is present at birth. In the more severe cases of the deficiency, amputation is necessary.

Initially, for Rowe-Johnson, the idea of having to amputate her nine-year-old son's leg was a daunting process. The gospel artiste recalls having to amputate her child's leg through pressure, even though she had seen this before in a vision.

"At age 26, seven months pregnant for my husband, the Lord showed me in a vision that I had a little boy and his legs were deformed. they had no bones, were lanky and turned up. I didn't tell my husband because I didn't take the dream seriously, to be honest," she said.

"I was getting a lot of pressure from a lot of persons to cut off the legs," she continued.

When the child was born, Rowe-Johnson cried but somehow took comfort in the vision she had. She took the child on the television programme, a 'Ray of Hope' and, after consultation with a number of local doctors, was still not satisfied with advice to amputate the leg, as she believed it would be healed.

She then journeyed abroad to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida and doctors there told her the same thing.

Eventually, the legs were amputated. Prostheses necessary for the child, are provided by a hospital in Tampa, Florida. By staging this concert, it is hoped enough funds will be raised to cover all expenses necessary for the treatment of young André Johnson.

Omari - File