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Shamelia Baker had been trying unsuccessfully for so long to get help for her nine-year-old daughter that she fell into a state of despair.

In a story first carried by THE STAR on October 29, Baker revealed that daughter, Ashara Channer, has Marfan’s syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects, among other things, her sight.

She couldn’t see out of her left eye, and could barely see from the right.

But Baker’s hopes were renewed when Ocho Rios-based optometrist Dr Andrew Giles decided to see Ashara free of charge.

Baker admitted that she was “speechless” and told THE STAR that she really wasn’t expecting any help.

“I was beyond words. I’ve been reaching out for help for a very long time and not been able to get any answer, so seeing so many persons coming on board and all of that, I was happy. I wasn’t expecting any response at all,” she said with a slight stutter. “Actually, his (Giles’) daughter saw it online and sent him the post, and he decided that he would help. Just seeing what it meant to my daughter meant a whole lot.”

Giles has promised Ashara a free pair of Ray-Ban eyeglasses, which will improve her sight tremendously.

Excited

“She is excited. She’s getting Ray-Bans in her favourite colour (red), so you can just imagine her excitement,” she said.

The ‘persons’ who came on board, helped Ashara get to Ocho Rios for her appointment and back last Saturday. She tried on frames during her visit.

“I couldn’t go with her, but her stepdad stepped in and took her the Saturday to Ocho Rios. Because of the nature of the illnesses she has, it would be hard for her to travel on public transportation, so persons actually came on board and booked a ticket on Knutsford Express for her to go to and from. Jamaica is not as bad as we seem to think sometimes,” said Baker.

She said that Saturday was like a mini holiday for Ashara.

“If you could only have seen her excitement. The sun didn’t matter to her, the heat didn’t bother her, she was just happy. Seeing the sea and seeing so many places that she only learnt about in school … she was overjoyed!” she said happily. She will get her glasses soon.

But Baker admitted that being in the media did bring many insults and disrespectful comments.

“Some persons were saying that nothing was wrong with her, that she looks healthy and I was just looking for handouts. Some people were saying it’s because I’m ugly why I’m looking money for me and my daughter. We got a lot of disrespect, but amid the disrespect, the good outweighs the bad,” she said.

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