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After a failed attempt to raise funds to assist with her daughter's, Beyounce Findley, medical expenses last month, Nannyville, St Andrew resident Shakeria Stephenson is turning to the public for assistance in purchasing a much-needed pacemaker for the teenager.

The 17-year-old suffers from several ailments, including second-degree heart blockage, a condition that occurs when some electrical signals fail to reach the heart, causing dropped or skipped beats. Affected patients may feel dizzy, and they may need a pacemaker as their heart muscles may not function properly.

Suffers from seizures

"The cost for a pacemaker is close to a million dollars and I cannot afford that. She will need to do the surgery by next year, so that is why I am asking for assistance now. She also suffers from seizures and is on medication for that. The doctors said they are trying to find out what is causing the seizure first, then after that the pacemaker will be needed," Stephenson said.

Findley, who attends Lister Mair/Gilby High School for the Deaf in Papine, St Andrew, was born deaf, and shortly after developed speech and vision problems.

"One day she was at school, and I got a call that she had collapsed and was taken to the University Hospital of the West Indies. I was told that she was having difficulty breathing and was placed on medications. After that I had to pull her from school for a while, because she keep passing out every minute. She was given another set of medication because her heart was racing really bad, but it made her condition got worse," the mother added.

Stephenson said she recently hosted a cake sale to raise funds for her medical bills, but the event did not go as planned, and she did not make a profit.

"Right now, mi baby have to be feeding on seizure pills. She cannot get to do her online classes the way I would want her to, because she still get the attacks, plus, during one of the episodes, her test glasses were damaged," the concerned mother said. She is hoping that persons will come to her daughter's rescue.

Persons wishing to assist Beyounce Findley may contact Shakeria Stephenson at 876-397-9757.