Andre' Williams, STAR Writer

Thirty-year-old Kavene Tulloch is in dire need of assistance in order to undergo a surgical procedure overseas which is not offered in Jamaica.

The required procedure is known as Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunting (TIPS).

Tulloch, a student, has been pursuing a degree in business management at the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS), however his studies have been affected because he has been diagnosed with portal hypertensive colopathy. This requires him to undergo a series of surgeries to remedy its effects.

According to Dr Maria Bartholomew, Tulloch has a complex medical problem that in her opinion would be best managed abroad by highly skilled surgeons, preferably transplant surgeons.

Dr Bartholomew, told THE STAR, "He has a condition where there is a high pressure in the blood vessels in his abdomen (portal hypertension). It is confined in the vessels in the abdomen and oesophagus so because the pressure is high, the blood vessels enlarge. The key consequence of that is he has large blood vessels in the oesophagus which can be life threatening. We were able to treat those, to tie dem off... but he also has high pressure in large blood vessels in the abdomen itself. It sometimes doesn't cause much problem but in his case it is causing problems which is quite unusual. He is constantly endemic and affects his quality of life, his blood count is low all the time."

Dr James O'Beirne, consultant physician and hepatologist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, THE STAR was told, is more than willing to perform the biopsy, which would require a deposit of £5000.

Since 2011

This fee would cover the cost of two consultations, CT triple phase, Transjugular liver biopsy and wedge pressure measurement for which Tulloch would require a day case admission.

Tulloch has been battling serious illness since 2011 after he was rushed to Port-of-Spain General Hospital with an upper gastrointestinal bleeding while studying in Trinidad.

He told THE STAR that prior to the surgeries he was only diagnosed with ulcerative colitis which have led doctors to conclude that the cause of his chronic rectal bleeding is more likely to be due to portal hypertensive colopathy.

Tulloch has written letters to the Ministry of Health for assistance, copies of which have been obtained by THE STAR, however, he says he is yet to get a response.

This latest surgery should have been performed in May, however, eight months later, due to the financial constraints ($7,500.00, inclusive of medical and travel expense) , he is currently not in the position to afford the estimated economic cost and it is on this basics that he seeks your financial assistance.

Anyone willing to assist Kavene Tulloch can contact 876-410-5051 or 876-442-3855 or deposit to Jamaica National (JN) Linstead branch a/c 10318790.