Still traumatised after a scratch bomb blew up in her hands, severing both her thumbs and damaging her fingers, grandmother Sally-Ann Cuffie is now facing a new fear—possible unemployment.
In an interview, Cuffie, a precepted estate constable, said she may never be able to fire a gun because her trigger finger was badly damaged when she snatched up the scratch bomb to prevent it from exploding on top of her six-month-old granddaughter Christa.
Since the accident on Divali night, Cuffie has been hospitalised at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC).
“I cannot use my fingers. They opened my bandages this morning and I was sad to see the damage to my hands. It is painful and I cannot move my fingers. One of it cannot bend,” Cuffie wept. She said doctors were expected to do a skin graft as her hands slowly healed.
Skin grafting is a surgical procedure that involves removing the skin from one area of the body and moving it, or transplanting it, to a different area of the body.
Calling on the Social Welfare Department to come to her aid, Cuffie said she may be facing a “hungry Christmas” if she does not get financial help.
“I am a Christmas person and I use my hands for everything. Now I cannot even feed myself or go to the toilet. I have to wear diapers and it is very distressing when I think about what is coming for Christmas,” she said.
Cuffie’s husband, Joseph Samuel, who has been at her bedside at the EWMSC, has been deemed unfit to work after he fell from a 30-foot building some time ago and injured his legs.
“He is trying to take care of me but he has his own problems and he walks with a limp. When I get out of hospital I will need someone to help me so I really hope that the Social Welfare people could assist me,” Cuffie added.
Saying the doctors had put her on strong painkillers, Cuffie said her hearing was affected by the blast.
“I am happy that I won’t lose my hands. The consultant will look at it and tomorrow they will do a graft. I am getting problems with my right ear so I can imagine how my baby granddaughter is feeling,” Cuffie added.
Cuffie said her son Christon Cuffie depended on her to help with the children.
Cuffie also called on Government to ban fireworks and scratch bombs.
“It is illegal and Government must directly ban this. Stop people from bringing it in. It is against the law yet people are selling it openly on the streets and nobody does nothing about it. At the end of the day, everybody happy but I am sad,” she added.
Cuffie saved the life of her granddaughter when she tried to throw the ignited scratch bomb out the window. The incident occurred at Boy Cato Road, Las Lomas, around 8 pm on Divali night.