Critical heart patient begs for attention...34 y-o KARESSA Marshall is making a special appeal to corporate Jamaica to help her get the heart surgery that she needs, before it is too late....So far, she has managed, with the help of a few individuals and a group called the Promoters' Forum, to pay the initial US$950 needed for her lab work, consultation, and electrophysiology.

BY ALPHEA SAUNDERS Observer senior staff reporter saundersa@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, February 15, 2015    

KARESSA Marshall is making a special appeal to corporate Jamaica to help her get the heart surgery that she needs, before it is too late.

KARESSA Marshall

"I need help. Am I going to die before I get the help I need?" the 34-year-old pondered, just minutes after returning from yet another visit to the Kingston Public Hospital, where she sought medical attention for a persistent cough and chest pain.

"People wouldn't understand what I go through on a daily basis, I'm asking corporate Jamaica to help me, people like Shaggy, the entertainment industry, especially corporate Jamaica. It's not like I can go to the bank and get a loan. I don't even have a bag to pack right now... I'm on hand to mouth right now," she said.

Marshall said that she is surprised, disappointed, and growing despondent, as close to a month after she made her story public in the Sunday Observer, she is still living in fear that any day could be her last.

"The doctor says anything can happen. God forbid, I can close my eyes and that is it," the mother of two young children said.

So far, she has managed, with the help of a few individuals and a group called the Promoters' Forum, to pay the initial US$950 needed for her lab work, consultation, and electrophysiology. more