Final goodbyes for baby Marissa

Baby Marissa was cremated Saturday at the Shore of Peace, Mosquito Creek following a funeral service in Penal. Hundreds of strangers joined her parents, Judy Khan and Robin Ramlal, to say final prayers and tear-filled goodbyes to a little girl whose health problems brought out the best in citizens who donated more than $750,000 to help save her life. In the end, the money was not enough to save her.

She needed $1.8 million for a live transplant in the United States. Her parents begged both the prime minister and minister of health for financial assistance for their little girl who was born in January with a defective liver.

When neither responded Judy Khan asked WINtv's Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne for help. And in less than a month his appeal to the nation brought in $759,000, with even school children contributing their lunch money to try to save little Marisa.

But time was running out and the 10-month-old baby died on Divali day. The next day Alleyne said he got a letter from Prime Minister Patrick Manning, stating that the matter had been passed to the minister of health.

And the day after the minister, Jerry Narace, offered condolences to the family for their loss and said the government offered $60,000. It was the best he could do, Narace explained, because that was the maximum allowed under government rules.

Read the story: Government offered $60,000 for baby Marissa
Related story: Baby dies for lack of funds

Nonsense the national community screamed. And many people said Narace should resign.

Speaking at Saturday's funeral service in Penal Ian Alleyne confirmed what he said earlier in the week - the money raised would go into a fund to help other children in need of surgery abroad.

Alleyne said he prayed for God to spare the baby's life and also for God "to soften the hearts of Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Health Minister Jerry Narace".

And he said, "I want to tell you that never again will another baby die like this. I will see to it that our children do not suffer and die like this.”

Pundit Narad Maharaj, who officiated, told mourners Marissa’s name would live on through the fund which was set up in her name.

A friend of the family, Sirju Singh, said, “The Government could have saved this child’s life. They have $50 billion to spend in one year, but they didn’t have money to save an innocent life".

One commentator, Richard William Thomas, wrote us with this comment:

"The one, a Big Man, some swear, THE biggest! He flew on a chartered private jet, once, twice, three times, to a far-off place, to have a relatively-minor surgical procedure done, which, every time, could have here been done. Cost? Who knows? At least TT$2m?

"The other? A little girl, from a poor family. Well! Poor thing, indeed! She died! Why? Because, though friends, well-wishers, Good Samaritans all, had raised over TT$700k, the one refused to offer a cent more than TT$60k of the TT700k balance needed to be raised.

"Different strokes for different folks...

"There's a lesson to be learnt, O ye who supported the Big Man! And this is how it goes:

• A for Apple!
• B for Bat!
• And,C for Yuhself!

"'Cause, he ain't gonna see for you, other than through CEPEP!"

Another, Virginia Verity, send us an email with this comment:

"As I understand it from the last budget...PM Manning is to receive an entertainment allowance of $13 million for the year...He could have forgone one month's entertainment for starters - that would have done it...Where is the initiative in this 'caring' administration?"