Minister Norton visits ailing sports journalist
- GoFundMe account needs US$6000 more
DPI, Guyana, Friday, June 8, 2018
Former sports journalist Rene Stoby who is battling a mystery illness was visited today by Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport Dr. George Norton.
Stoby’s illness has made it difficult for him to walk or speak so he wrote on a note pad addressing the minister: “I guess you would not be watching the World Cup at 704,” reminiscing on the times they would be at the popular bar.
Norton brought medical, dietary and hygienic supplies to the Beterverwagting home of Stoby’s mother Joanie James who takes care of him on a daily basis.
“I am happy that I am seeing him alive… I do hope that this is not the end and because of the nature of these sicknesses, the neurological disorder or a disorder in the nerve component, they always have some devastating event on the life of the patient and this is a similar situation that we have here,” Norton noted.
James said her son’s condition continues to get worse. The sum of US$10,000 is needed for Stoby to travel to the United States for treatment. However, only about US$4000 has been raised thus far. A GoFundMe account has since been set up at www.gofundme.com/raising-for-rene.
Stoby started to experience muscle spasms in 2016 while he was employed as a journalist at the Guyana Times. The spasms were extremely painful and eventually he was forced to leave the job. Two years on and doctors are yet to diagnose the illness since amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been ruled out.
By: Isaiah Braithwaite.
Images: Jameel Mohamed.