Hospitalized, Handicapped, Homeless . . . But Hopeful!

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hat was the status message Raquel Harris shared with the world via Facebook, coming out of one of the periodic bouts of silence those close to her had grown accustomed to after months of recovery following a vehicular accident in Bexon that left one woman dead, two other passengers injured, and 27-year-old Raquel paralyzed. Three and a half years have passed and Raquel has undergone therapy and several grueling operations in Martinique and in France. Her life continues to be filled with therapy, and the still glimmering hope that she will one day walk again.

The hospital that she was flown to from St Lucia after her accident has been Raquel’s home for almost four years. Ahead of finally being able to convince her to go the route of crowd-funding to help finance her transition out of the hospital and back into real life, one of Raquel’s friends recalled that her only words were: “I cannot lie; being in this hospital for so long makes me feel like it’s become home. But living in a hospital is no life at all.”

Still her spirit remains unbroken. She shared some of the intimate details of what the last few years have been like for her via Facebook: “I’ve been given the runaround administratively and for at least the last two years I have been looking for a place to call home. The good news is that I may have finally found a place but not having had an income for the last four years I cannot afford to move in immediately. I no longer need to be at the hospital; my time here is literally finished. Normally I ask for prayers but today I am here to ask for financial help, and also a lot more prayers!”

In her post, the young woman who is admired most of all for her courage and fighting spirit, reached out for help at a time when she needed it more than anything else.

“If there is anyone out there that who would like to help in any way, inbox me please?” she pleaded.

Friends of the 27-year-old who now resides in Martinique are calling on the public to assist Raquel with making her transition from hospital to normal life. “We need as many people as we can to help make this transition as smooth as possible as she gets set to face the rest of her life, in the same manner of strength she has always demonstrated,” a close friend told the STAR. “Everyone needs a little help sometime.”

The campaign that is intended to help the young woman raise funds to move out of hospital into an apartment aims to raise 2000 Euros (approx. EC$6000). Donations can be made to Bank of St Lucia, Account #129257000. Please help!