Seven-year-old Shaniya Persaud, who was severely burnt about her body in a fire that gutted her Mon Repos North, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home last week, arrived safely in the United States and has since successfully completed the first of a series of surgeries.

Persaud departed Guyana for emergency medical treatment on Saturday. She arrived in the US early on Sunday morning. Due to the severity of her burns, she was transported via an air ambulance at the cost of US$40,000, which is equivalent to more than $8 million in local currency. The cost was covered equally by the Rotary Club of Demerara and the non-governmental organisation- Saving Hands Emer-gency Aid (SHEA).

SHEA, in a recent Face-book post, said Persaud spent the entirety of Sunday meeting with a medical team in order to formulate a treatment plan. The first phase of treatment began on Monday, SHEA added. She continued surgery yesterday.

Persaud was accepted to the Shriners Hospital in Galveston, Texas, where she is being treated free of cost. The Mon Repos Primary School student sustained second and third degrees burns to 97% of her body in the fire, which started around 1 am last Monday at the single-flat house, situated at Lot 101 Mon Repos North.

The house was occupied by Samantha Gayadin and her three children-Persaud and her brothers Akeem Persaud, 9 and Brandon Anthony, 13. At the time of the fire, the children were home alone as Gayadin was attending a wedding in the community.(Stabroek News)…[+]