Classmates shed tears as dengue victim, 8, is laid to rest

It was a confusing and sad moment for some students of the North Trace Government Primary School as they placed flowers in the casket bearing their schoolmate, Nelisha Sophia Narine.

Sorrow filled the eight-year-old’s home in New Grant, Princes Town, yesterday as family and friends gathered to say goodbye to Nelisha, four days after she died from a suspected case of dengue.

While the family awaited laboratory confirmation, a death certificate listed her cause of death as presumptive dengue shock syndrome with gastrointestinal haemorrhage and de novo diabetes mellitus.

Relatives said she developed a high fever a week ago, and despite going to a health centre, medical staff examined her and sent her home with no medication. They told her parents, Nikkita and Amar, to wait five days for a dengue test result. During that time, Nelisha’s condition worsened, and her parents took her to the Princes Town District Health Facility and then the San Fernando General Hospital. She died three days later.

On social media, news of her death and the treatment meted out to her at the health centre have angered some.

Some posters questioned the state of healthcare in the country, while others questioned if health officials were taking dengue seriously.

Yesterday, the child’s mother, Nikkita sat silently in front of her daughter’s coffin almost unmovable as Amar, Nelisha, brother Amit, grandfather, Boodoo, and uncles performed Hindu rites. The coffin included her doll and another toy.

Delivering the eulogy, Nelisha’s teacher, Zaniffa John-Bissoon told mourners to honour the child by living with the same joy and enthusiasm she lived her brief life with. John-Bissoon said Nelisha was full of life and light and brought joy to everyone who knew her. She recalled that Nelisha found joy in the simple pleasures of life, like running across the schoolyard, drinking fresh coconut under a tree with Boodoo and going to get Chinese noodles and chicken, her favourite food, with Amar.

“Though her time was short, the impact she made on the lives of everyone around her, she will never be forgotten. Nelisha was a child who embraced life with enthusiasm and love,” John-Bissoon said.

Fellow teacher Sue Harricharan also recalled that Nelisha would run into Amit’s classroom on afternoons and sit beside him. Harricharran said Nelisha was a loving and caring child who always looked out for others’ feelings.

“Only a mother could understand the pain Nikkita is going through. Only God alone knows why he plucked this beautiful flower in her budding stage.”

Officiating over the funeral, pundit Rajendra Madhoo told mourners that they must prepare for times of grief in their lives. Madhoo called on everyone to support the family as they grieve.

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