While confined to a wheelchair, long-time reggae crooner Frankie Paul still managed to demonstrate formidable talent during a fundraiser at House of Dancehall, Cargill Avenue, St Andrew, late last year. These days, the resonance of Paul’s voice has been quieted by feeding and breathing tubes.
The singer has been admitted to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Mona, where, according to his sister, Tisha Clarke, Paul has spent an account-draining amount of time in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Outstanding Payments
Clarke told The Gleaner that the latest bill she was issued from the hospital quoted $1.4 million in outstanding payments. “I don’t have no more money because I have to buy prescriptions for him that they don’t have at the pharmacy,” she said.
After speaking with doctors over the weekend, Clarke said that prognosis for the reggae performer does not look promising. “He’s not doing well. His state is really bad,” she told The Gleaner.
According to Clarke, Paul has been a patient at the UHWI since April 2017. She explained that Paul’s body is currently swollen because of malfunctioning kidneys. As a result, the singer has been prescribed dialysis treatments twice weekly at a cost of $20,000 per treatment. Clarke told The Gleaner that the daily admission cost of being in the ICU is approximately $60,000. Paul has also been prescribed a cocktail of antibiotics to combat an infection that has seeped into his blood.
In October, Frankie Paul headlined Alive and Well to raise funds to purchase a prosthetic leg for him. The event pulled just under 50 patrons.
Regardless, The Gleaner reported that there was no indication of illness in his vocal performance. It was reported that other fundraising events were scheduled to take place in the United States and Canada. His sister, however, told The Gleaner that she is unaware of such efforts.
Clarke revealed that her brother had the infection from his last performance at Startime in January 2016 at Mas Camp, St Andrew. “But they cleared it up, so I don’t know what this is now. [The doctors] are trying to do their best.
“They put him on different antibiotics than before,” she said, Even with this information, Clarke told The Gleaner that Paul is able to open his eyes and shows signs that he’s cognizant of his surroundings
“Is just me alone. Right now, we have to just pray that he pulls through this,” she said. Among Frankie Paul’s well-known recordings are Kushumpeng, Tidal Wave, and Alicia.
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