Man with burns on 75% of his body needs help

The family of burn victim, Garth “Tall-Up” Edwards of Ottley Hall is seeking help from the public that will allow Edwards to receive medical attention overseas.

Edwards, the married father of a 13-year-old son, was burnt on Sunday May 7, 2023 around 7:00 p.m. when he used gasoline to ignite a fire that he was planning to use to dispose of yard waste.

The freak accident saw Edwards receiving first, second and third degree burns over three quarters of his body. He is currently warded at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH).

A female relative of the burn victim said Edwards has burns to the left side of his head, face, neck, upper back, both hands- from his shoulder down to his fingers, on the left side of his chest and both legs down to his toes.

She said the medical staff is doing a good job of caring for Edwards but he needs to go to Trinidad where he can receive specialised care at a burn unit.

“Garth is still talking but he is in a lot of pain … he needs urgent medical attention that is not available here although the medical staff at the hospital is doing a good job in treating him,” the relative said.

“The doctors are encouraging us to get him to a facility with a burn unit and we would like to explore this option to give him the best chance of recovery, but we need financial assistance.”

The cost for the air ambulance alone is around US$12,400. Garth’s wife Chemly Butler, has started a gofundme page and anyone who wants to make a monetary contribution can call 1-784-531-3242.

“We are kindly asking for assistance no matter how small to aid in his speedy recovery,” Butler says on the gofundme account.