Mother Awaiting Daughter’s Facial Reconstruction Surgery

Six-year-old Julie Desir, who sustained a gunshot injury to her face during a shooting incident near her La Pointe, Dennery home, is patiently awaiting her facial reconstruction surgery. 

A stray bullet struck the youngster.

The incident, which occurred on October 1, 2024, left the child with serious wounds, necessitating immediate medical intervention.

 Later that month, Julie’s mother, Brittney Paul, received a bill from a doctor totalling a little over $14,500 – a sum that Ms. Paul said she could not afford. After appealing for assistance on social media by posting a picture of the medical bill quote, she had explained that the doctor declined to perform her daughter’s surgery. 

The Saint Lucia Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA) had empathised with the patient and her family while defending the doctor, who has served the Saint Lucian community for over three decades, emphasising her history of offering free or discounted care to underprivileged patients.

In a statement in October, the SLMDA also urged the public not to rush to judgement amid a social media backlash.

On November 11th, Dennery South MP Alfred Prospere, disclosed that the government would assist Julie Desir’s family by providing her with the medical treatment she needs.

Her mother says while the surgery has not yet been performed, they are still being patient. Ms. Paul says the family has gotten documents prepared in the meantime. “Well, she hasn’t done the surgery yet, but in St. Vincent we have to go and do the surgery. 

So I went to collect a doctor’s report from Owen King EU Hospital. When I got it, I had to take it to a doctor at La Clery,” she explained. 

According to her, the date for the surgery has not yet been finalised. “And then from there, they will let us know the date, because they tell me like the people that travel into St. Vincent are normally in June. So when I bring the paper there, then I guess they’ll give me the dates,” she said. 

She says she has not yet received confirmation that the government would cover the costs of her daughter’s surgery, clarifying that the information only came to her via the news. “I heard that, like people say, on the news. But to tell you the honest truth, nobody has come to me, like confront me face to face and tell me well, that has been paid already to tell you the honest truth,” she adds.

Paul says she is still hosting fundraisers for her daughter.