T&T: Noel Lochan goes to hospital

Yesterday, CaribPundit carried the story of Noel Lochan -- the young boy from Princes Town -- whose body is afflicted with egg-sized boils. Apparently, Noel's family had never taken him to public health clinics for medical care, and it was neigbors who alerted the police to Noel's condition. The Trinidad Guardian's report on the boy's condition spurred prompt action, and Health Minister John Rahael ordered Noel to be taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, but Imtiaz Ahamad chairman of the South West Rgional Health Authority convinced Minister Rahael that Noel could be attended at San Fernando General Hospital. Doctors there examined Noel and performed a biopsy to determine the cause of his condition. Minister Rahael informed that initial tests show that Noel may have a skin infection of some sort. Dermatologist Dr. Morgan Basanta said "on the basis of a picture he saw of Noel, the boy may be suffering from chromoblastomycosis (a fungus) or mycosissungoidis, a form of skin cancer," and offered to treat the boy gratis.

As for Noel's family, they think that he might have contracted the disease at his previous job in a chicken pluck shop. The Princes Town community has responded by generously providing the family of 13 (11 children) with furniture, and a Connecticut church is raising funds for them. His mother, Cheryl, is having difficulty opening a bank account so people can donate money to help Noel because the family's home has no utilities and banks require such bills to establish accounts.