Sister Jenny and Dr. C. F Roza Above and below
It was with great sadness that I read about the recent fire at Mercy Hospital in Georgetown.
My father Dr. C.F. Roza worked there for many years before he went to Mackenzie. He met and married my mother there and my elder sister Carole was born there. My personal experience with the hospital was from visiting Sister Mary Generosa whom we all called Sister Jenny and this is where I had an eye operation when I was 9 years old.
I probably was not the best of patients! I insisted I did not want to stay on the children’s ward and was given a private room at the front of the hospital (no doubt due to Dad’s influence). This turned out to be a bonus for me as it was Carnival time and from my window I could see many of the events taking place in the field across the road. Mum was able to stay in the room with me. I had one of the scariest experiences of my young life there. I had heard Dad and my doctor (unfortunately I cannot remember his name but it may have been Dr. Singh) discussing the operation when I was not supposed to be within hearing distance. What I heard was that if the operation did not work I would be blind. At the time I did not think too much about it but when I woke up from the anaesthetic and could not see I panicked. Mum told me it took a few grown men and herself to hold me down until they could remove the wrapping from both eyes leaving only the patch over the eye which had been operated on and thereby convincing me that I was NOT blind in both eyes.
Please check out the Hospital website at: http://www.sjmh.org.gy/index.html?tab=2#TabbedPanels1
I hope they will receive many donations to allow them to carry on with the wonderful work they do. If Dad was still alive today I am sure he would be the first to be there helping.
