Owen Powis, (left) accepts a donation from Horace Hines (right) general manager, JN Money Services, and Melissa Draggon, operations supervisor, at JN Money services, owners and operators of the JN Money brand to assist with his medical treatment. Mr. Powis was diagnosed with Stage 5 Renal Failure late last year and requires dialysis three times per week as well as a kidney transplant.
Construction Manager, Owen Powis, is thankful that his treatment for Stage 5 renal failure will continue after he received a US$3,000 donation from JN Money on August 25.
Mr Powis, who resumed work in the Cayman Islands until recently, was diagnosed with the illness in September last year and requires a kidney transplant. He presently does dialysis three times per week at Liam Dialysis in Portmore Pines.
Miss Melissa Draggon, operations supervisor, at JN Money Services Limited, owners and operators of the JN Money brand, explained that the company decided to assist Mr. Powis after reading his story online.
“I saw his story on the Loop news website and we noted that he was a JN Money customer. We immediately did some further checks on Mr. Powis and suggested to Mr. Hines, our general manager, that we should provide support,” she stated.
“I have been communicating with Mr. Powis for the past two to three weeks, every Wednesday and Friday religiously, since learning about his story. Even if we aren’t communicating about the donation, I still check up on him because it is good to offer support to persons in difficult times,” she added.
Getting treatment was a challenge even before the travel restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic since Mr. Powis travelled from The Cayman Islands where he worked at the time to Jamaica to do his dialysis three times per week because it cost less. However, with the pandemic, this has impacted his ability to be on site and so his income is significantly reduced as a result. Therefore, the assistance from JN Money could not have come at a better time.
“I do dialysis three times per week in Portmore and have a transplant to do at The University Hospital of the West Indies. There are many other tests to be done; therefore, this donation will assist me greatly,” he explained. “I thank JN Money for their support because it has been difficult for me during this time, as I have not been able to work at the same level because of the pandemic.”
Mr. Horace Hines, general manager, JNMS stated that the company felt it necessary to lend support and highlight Mr. Powis’ story based on medical needs and the cost of his treatment.
“Mr. Powis is a longstanding customer and we felt it necessary to lend support to him during this challenging time which is why we not only decided to help, but to highlight his situation so that more persons can assist because he still has some way to go before he can fully recover,” he stated.
Mr Powis’ sister, Mrs. Olive Powis Campbell, said that she has learnt so much about the condition from Owen’s experience.
“It has really been an eye opener for me. It took a toll on me in the early stages of the dialysis. I ensured that I was there with the doctor to get first-hand knowledge of what the condition is about. The nephrologist has helped us to understand the various stages of this condition which are linked to various health issues. With that information, I am able to educate persons in my circle by directing them to the specialists if they find that their diabetes/hypertension is uncontrolled. As a family, we have been very supportive and pray that his health will get better,” she said.
The family is appreciative of all the support in order to assist Mr. Powis along this stage of his life. Future donations can be made to:
JN Bank
Account holder: Owen Powis
A/C 2094201959
