NEED TO KNOW
A Chicago woman is stuck in Jamaica without life-saving kidney transplant medication amid the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, which hit the island on Oct. 28
Trinette Britt-Johnson, 58, was on her first vacation since undergoing the surgery last year when the deadly storm struck
Officials are pleading for her to be brought back to the United States to receive the medication before it’s too late
A woman from Chicago who underwent a kidney transplant last year is stuck in Jamaica without critical medication after Hurricane Melissa tore through the island.
Trinette Britt-Johnson, 58, headed to Jamaica for her first big vacation after having the operation in 2024, ABC 7 Chicago reported. She underwent the transplant after being diagnosed with a rare kidney disease years earlier, per CBS News.
Britt-Johnson was given the all-clear to travel two months ago, before she and her husband decided to visit Montego Bay, the outlet noted.
RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty
A fallen tree is pictured in St. Catherine, Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
During their trip, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in the country as a Category 5 storm on Tuesday, Oct. 28, with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness previously declaring the island a “disaster area,” per a Facebook post.
Britt-Johnson, who is the chief of staff to Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan, has now been without her medication for days and has been sleeping in an ambulance while officials in Chicago try to help, Fox 32 Chicago reported.
The medicine she needs supports kidney function, and it’s critical that she gets it, according to CBS News.
Without the medication, Britt-Johnson’s body will reject her donated kidney, ABC 7 Chicago noted.
RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty
The Rio Cobre comes out of its banks near St. Catherine, Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
Cook County Commissioner Kisha McCaskill insisted Britt-Johnson must be flown back to the United States, saying, “It is absolutely a life-or-death situation. We are in a crisis,” CBS News reported.
“At this point, she has been without her medication for approximately 40 hours, and if she does not get this life treatment … we’re at risk of not having Trinette,” she added, per the outlet’s article published on Thursday, Oct. 30.
Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan, who Britt-Johnson works for, said, “She was technically trying to get out of [there] Saturday,” according to the publication.
He added, “When I talked to her over the weekend, I said, ‘I just want you to enjoy.’ First we texted, and then she called, and she says ‘Yeah, I want to enjoy, but I need to get off this island now.’ “
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Medical experts said transplants like the one Britt-Johnson underwent are rarely performed in Jamaican hospitals, so the medication is hard to come by, CBS News noted. She’s reportedly been to three Jamaican hospitals, but none had it, the outlet reported, citing officials.
McCaskill has asked President Donald Trump to step in, saying, “My appeal has been directly to Donald Trump; to President Trump. This is not a Democratic or Republican situation. We’re talking about a young African American woman,” per CBS News.
The U.S. Department of State is aware of the situation, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
The U.S. Department of State, Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan and Cook County Commissioner Dr. Kisha McCaskill didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment.
Read the original article on People
Jamaica, kidney transplant, ABC 7 Chicago, Chicago, Trinette Britt-Johnson, St. Catherine, Jamaica, Melissa, Trinette
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