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PLEASE HELP LORNA
WADE
Letter to Belizeans
in the Diaspora
Account of Donations
Collected
News Articles
Regarding The Lorna Wade Incident
Letter to Belizeans in
the Diaspora:
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June 25,
2004
To My Fellow
Belizeans and Friends of Belize:
I am sending this letter in hopes that you will join me to help Lorna
Wade. While searching the Belize News Online, I came across a news item
broadcasted and published by several news outlets. The Prime Minister of
Belize also mentioned the disturbing story of the severe beating of Ms.
Wade on June 22nd in an address he delivered to a group of
journalist studying domestic violence and child abuse in
Belize.
As I read the article, I felt a chill, and I shivered as the hair on my
body began to rise. I felt outraged about this abuse and wondered how
she will be able to make a full recovery without the proper medical
help.
I went to bed and prayed. I asked God to be with her and ease her pain.
Unable to go to sleep, I got up and decided that her recovery can only
be realized if we, as Belizeans and you as friends of Belize, help her in what I believe to be a shared social consciousness for our
fellow human beings.
I am therefore appealing to you for your help to raise funds to ensure
that Lorna Wade receive the necessary physical and psychiatric therapy
she needs to ensure a full recovery. Please help.
Kindly forward this letter by e-mail or fax it to your relatives and
friends. If they do not have e-mail, please send it via postal service.
Lorna needs everyone’s prayers and financial support.
Please mail your check payable to the Consortium for Belizean
Development, Inc.,
3860 Crenshaw Blvd., Suite 206,
Los Angeles, CA 90008, and note on the memo line “Lorna Wade Fund.” Please
indicate if you would like your name posted as a donor online.
The Consortium
For Belizean Development, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt
organization and your donations may be tax deductible; please check with
your tax advisor. For
more information on our organization, please visit our website at: www.belizeconsortium.org
To
access news media articles regarding the Lorna Wade incident you may
visit the following link online:
To access the list of current
donations collected you may visit the following link online:
Thank you for
making a difference in Lorna Wade's life.
Verona
Burks
President
Consortium
For Belizean Development, Inc.
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Account of Donations Collected:
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Donors as of June 25, 2004
From Los Angeles:
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Verona Burks
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Evan & Margaret Evans
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Kim Hernandez
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Helen Laurie
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Armando Pott
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Laverne Smith
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To make a donation, send an e-mail to president@belizeconsortium.org
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News Articles Regarding The Lorna
Wade Incident:
| Crime
of Passion
Reprinted
from The Belize Times Online, June 7th 2004
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Mother
Hospitalized after Severe Beating
At
first glance 34 year old Lorna Wade, mother of five
children, looks almost dead on a hospital bed at the KHMH.
The wide, long stitches across her forehead and swollen,
bruised cheekbones and black and blued eyes are signs of
an almost fatal and sudden encounter with someone who
seemed poised at taking her life.
Lorna,
who resides on Gabourel Lane, explained that she was with
her children at home on Friday night when her worst
nightmare became a reality. She explained that around
11:00 her ex-boyfriend broke through a window and came
after her with a stick.
Her
ex-partner, identified as Eston “Joe” Young, was
furious when he went towards Lorna. In few seconds and
without warning he began to swing the stick at Lorna. The
stick caught Lorna all over her body including her head,
which was burst open.
When
she fell to the ground he did not stop, but continued to
pound on her, even with his bare fists.
All
this occurred in front of Lorna’s five children, aged
19, 17, 16, 11, and 9. The two youngest are children Lorna
had with Joe. They froze in shock and fright as they saw
their mother beaten to a bloodbath.
Lorna
said that all that happened because Joe was angry that she
had moved from his house and was attempting to leave his
life. “About two weeks back, I told him that I
didn’t want to be with him any more”, she
sobbed.
Rosita
Perez is at the hospital nursing her debilitated sister,
Lorna. According to Rosita, Lorna had been subjected to
domestic violence over and over. She said that while Lorna
lived on New Road with Joe, he had beaten her up several
times, but nothing compared to the beating he gave her
Friday night.
The
instances of domestic violence have been almost
torture-like. While Lorna lied on the bed, almost
motionless, Rosita showed the many bruises and scars from
Lorna’s violent past.
There
was the two-inch, fresh scar on Lorna’s left shoulder,
which Rosita said, was caused when Joe attacked Lorna with
a machete. There was also the fat, mole-like scar between
her fingers on her right hand, which Rosita remarked, was
caused when Joe hammered Lorna’s hand during a fight.
And then there was the newly bruised and swollen left eye,
which Rosita pointed out, was bruised some weeks ago when
Joe flung a cement block unto Lorna’s face.
All
those were reasons why Lorna would want to leave Joe.
Lorna had just moved to her new house on Gabourel Lane
some days ago. She wanted to start a new life for herself
and children. But then there came Joe.
Neighbors
say he arrived in his green taxi, which he parked almost
in the middle of the street. He was walking round the
house, looking for a way to get in. He found one and then
went on his rampage. If it were not for neighbors, who
came to help after hearing Lorna’s heavy cries, Joe
might have committed murder Friday night.
They
not only stopped Joe, but physically attacked him. He was
also beaten-up that night. They also put his car on fire.
Then the police were alerted and the ambulance arrived,
along with firefighters.
Both
Lorna and Joe were taken to the KHMH. Rosita said that she
was not pleased with the medical attention her sister got.
According to her, the matter became very complicated when
they arrived at the hospital.
The
medics told her that nothing could be done about Lorna
unless she takes a Catscan, but that she could not take it
at the KHMH because the bed was limited to persons 280
pounds or less. Lorna weighs over 300 pounds. Rosita and
Lorna were transported to the Medical Associates, only to
find out that the bed was of no use to them either. They
returned to the KHMH where some treatment was quickly
administered on Lorna.
Joe
has been remanded to the Hattieville Prison, until June
15th when he should appear in Court again. He has been
charged with attempted murder, use of deadly means of
harm, dangerous harm, and aggravated burglary.
According
to Rosita, they await medical advice on whether Lorna
should leave for medical treatment and surgery to an
expert doctor at a hospital in Chetumal or if she could be
cared for in Belize
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Obsessed
Ex-lover Beats Woman to Near Death
posted
(June 7, 2004)
Reprinted
from Channel 7 News Online, June 7, 2004
A mother of 4
was almost beaten to death by her obsessed ex-lover in a vicious attack on
Friday night.
The victim is 33
year old Lorna Wade who is tonight in a bed at the KHMH with a fractured
skull. Wade says late Friday night she was at her
Gabourel Lane
home when her ex-boyfriend Eston Young broke in her home and lashed out at
her with a 2 x 4 and brutally began to beat her.
Tonight Lorna is
literally black and blue from the attack, her head is in bandages, and she
only just regained her vision. But she is talking, and from her hospital
bed she braved the pain and shared her harrowing tale with us.
Lorna Wade,
Beating Victim
"My window can't close good so he came through the window. Once
inside he slapped me and said [expletive] I see someone brought you
dinner. But the guy, who had brought me dinner, his girl was right there
with him. So he brought something for his girl and he brought something
for me also because we were all sitting down watching a DVD."
"Then the
man (Eston Young) came and knocked me in my head with a fat piece of
stick. [Sigh} He beat me in my back and then he continued to beat me in my
head. I start to bawl and I cried for my children to go call Ms. Casey (a
neighbor) because he was going to kill me. So my son ran and then he ran
away. After that I dropped and I don't even know what happened
after."
Lorna how are you
doing?
Lorna Wade,
"I have a lot of headaches. My neck is hurting. Me back is hurting.
But most of my head is swinging. I have a lot of headache."
Lorna you said you
are telling your story so this can be a lesson to other women. Explain
that.
Lorna Wade,
"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. I am in a lot of pain and I
am innocent. Maybe if I did something to deserve it but I am innocent. I
didn't do him anything."
To compound her
worries, Lorna Wade still does not know just how badly she is injured
because has not been able to take a CAT scan examination because she
cannot suitably fit in the cat scans in
Belize
which are made for individuals under 300 pounds. Her family is currently
making plans to take her to Chetumal though 7NEWS understands her best
chance would be to seek treatment in the
United States
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Sadly the only good news is that
her attacker Eston Young appeared before a Magistrate on charges of
attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, dangerous harm, and
aggravated burglary. No plea was taken and Young is remanded at the
Hattieville Prison until the 15th of this month.
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Stalking
ex-husband beats Lorna
Wade, 34,
unconscious
by
Rowland A. Parks
Reprinted
from The Amandala Online, June
13, 2004
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BELZIE
CITY, Wed. June 9, 2004
After
four hours of surgery on Saturday morning, Lorna
Wade, 34, is
recovering from a fractured skull and other body injuries at the
Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, after her ex-common law husband,
Eston Young, 44, a resident of the Port Loyola area, allegedly
beat her unconscious last Friday night around 11:00 and left her
for dead on the floor of her Gabourel Lane home.
Young, a taxi driver working out of one of the taxi stands on
Mahogany Street, was arrested and formally arraigned on charges of
attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, dangerous harm and
aggravated burglary.
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Domestic Abuse Victim Flown to Merida for Treatment
posted (June 15, 2004)
Reprinted
from Channel 7 News Online, June 15, 2004
Last Monday first on 7NEWS we heard the tragic story of
domestic abuse victim Lorna Wade who was almost beaten to death by her
obsessed ex-boyfriend. Tonight there isn't much good news to report in
the case because Lorna who courageously spoke to us last week is now in
a coma and late this afternoon she was rushed by air ambulance to Merida.
Keith Swift
Reporting,
With her children and other close family members at her side, Lorna Wade
was loaded into a waiting ambulance late this afternoon, the start of
her journey to a hospital in Merida. The domestic abuse survivor who was
cruelly beaten by a crazed ex-lover was released from the KHMH just last
night. But she was back there this morning in a coma and her sister
Rosita Perez says Lorna should have never been released in the first
place, in fact she begged the hospital not to.
Rosita Perez, Sister
"She was discharged from the hospital yesterday evening eventhough
I was in tears begging them not to let her out because of her condition.
I have been by her bedside from the thing happened and I have been
monitoring her and I see her condition but the doctor still discharged
her. They told me there is no way they could keep her here because she
is stable. We were here from about 6 yesterday evening pleading to the
nurses not to send her home in that condition. So they still discharged
her and we took her home and she slept through the night. But this
morning at about 6 she went into a coma. Her face was twist, her mouth
began to foam, and she began to tremble. She got out of it but she was
left with a heavy snoring. She had about 5 attacks before we brought her
to the hospital."
Keith Swift,
You are saying her condition has worsened?
Rosita Perez,
"Yes because while she was in here the doctors said she was
recovering. But she usually goes into something like seizure and then
she started to talk about different things that weren't happening. Like
she would she see people coming after her and thing. The doctors told me
that is normal because of the knock she got to her head."
Keith Swift,
So she was recovering up until she went home and now her condition has
took a turn for the worse?
Rosita Perez, Sister
"Yes. But given the condition that she was in I think there was no
way they should have sent her home."
And so why did the KHMH release Lorna Wade? Well Public Relations
Officer Gary Ayuso says there was simply nothing more the hospital could
do for her.
Gary Ayuso, PR Officer KHMH
"The doctors decided that she could have gone home and continue her
recovery at home. She wasn't on any specialized equipment or any
specialized medication so she could have gone home to continue her
recovery."
Keith Swift,
Seeing her radical turn for the worse after leaving the hospital, in
hindsight maybe you think it was the wrong decision?
Gary Ayuso,
"Well Keith you know on the road to recovery there is no
guarantees. Anything can happen especially with this type of medical
condition. She received severe head injuries and there was no way that
we can ascertain the level or the degree of injuries because she could
not undergo CAT scans here in Belize."
And as her family sees her off, they are left with the hope Lorna
will be a domestic abuse survivor in the true sense of the word and get
the CAT scan and medical treatment she needs in Merida.
Lorna Wade will be treated at the Clinica Merida. Her ex-boyfriend
Eston Young was charged with attempted murder and is on remand awaiting
trial.
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