On Saturday April 2010 Gillian Dupigny experienced the incredible joy of bringing two wonderful
children into this world, Aida and Akira. But well before she could have settled from the euphoria of being with her first borns, doctors broke the
bad news that any parent would dread hearing. Gillian and her husband, Lester, were told that Aida has been diagnosed with a severe case of Ebstein’s
Anamoly, a rare heart condition. The shocking and painful discovery came three days after birth. According to Gillian, in her own account of that painful journey, “It was not until 13th April, 2010 during
a routine examination of Aida, a heart murmur was discovered. She was kept at the hospital under
observation and was discharged the following day. We thought that all was well. We were wrong, approximately 3 weeks later Aida was readmitted to the
hospital. Things started to take a different turn. Aida was slowly losing her strength. On June 2nd 2010
she went into cardiac distress and was airlifted to a children’s hospital in Martinique. She was examined
by a team of specialists, and was diagnosed with a cyanotic Congenital Heart disease (Severe Ebstein’s
Anomaly, Pulmonary Atresia). The doctor told us there’s no hope, that our little daughter would be
dead within 4 days. His words were “I know what I’m saying, I wish there was something else I could say
to you, she is not going to make it so you should move on with your lives together with your other
daughter (Akira Hope Dupigny).”
Today a small committee made up of Gillian’s co-workers in the Nelson’s Dockyard has been formed to
move this cause forward. On Friday May 1, after a long and arduous search to find the institution that would best help Aida,
Gillian received a medical opinion and treatment options from the Boston Children’s Hospital. The BCH
advises that she would need US$187,687.00 for a combination of services to correct her abnormality. This does not include airfare to Boston, accommodation and subsistence while in Boston and airfare to
Barbados for VISA purposes. This accounts for an additional US$10,394.80. A fund has been started at the Dockyard branch of Antiguan bank, ECAB, in the name of Aida’s mother,
Gillian Dupigny. The account number is 121000719
We are seeking your support in helping us to reach this target so that Aida can remain with us and grow
up to be the wonderful promise that she is and to be the delightful inspiration that her mother is to all
those with whom she has come in contact.
