Mother and Sick Daughter Recieve Help From Local Church

Finding out your child is born with a disabling illness is heartbreaking. Then finding out treatment for that illness is hundreds of miles away may make the situation seem impossible. A local mother is making the impossible happen and receiving much needed help from her church. A Grambling mother found out five year ago that her daughter was born with a disease causing permanent kidney damage, loss of sight and hearing. She receives special treatment, but has to travel all the way to little rock Arkansas to get it. Now the mother is getting help from her church to continue their journey. Cheree Houston’s five-year-old daughter Jamiyah was born with end stage renal disease, which caused kidney failure and eventually led to three surgeries to replace Jamiyah’s corneas. Shes now blind in her right eye and has nerve deafness. Houston says Jamiyah’s loving spirit leaves people blind to her illness. "Shes so loving to where she just throws herself at you. You cant really get down when youre around her. She just has that attitude to where you dont see any sickness. You dont see any illness," says Houston. Jamiyah travels to Little Rock Arkansas three days a week to visit a pediatric specialist for hemodialysis treatment. That treatment is only available at one hospital in Louisiana, even further away in New Orleans. Now the family is battling to keep going the distance. "Now theyre trying to find a place in Louisiana somewhere because the facility in Arkansas will not cover those charges for her,” and Houston says, “those are charges we just dont have funds to pay." The family attends St. Luke Baptist Church in Arcadia. The congregation is now coming together to get items together for a rummage sale Saturday morning. All the money will go to the Jamiyah Jackson fund. Members of the church have also chipped in by taking Jamiyah to treatment in little rock whenever possible. Liza Patton, co-pastor of St. Luke Baptist church, “One of our members, thats not here right now, in fact shes traveling with the baby right now to Arkansas, but she went up there for a whole week with her." Jamiyahs grandmother, Patsy Harris says, “It touches the heart that we have a church family thats willing to step up as they have done as they are." Houston says though they are struggling right now, theyre confident Jamiyah will soar above her troubles. Jamiyah was in Little Rock Friday getting treatment when we met her family, but you can meet her Saturday the benefit. It will begin at 7am at the State Farm Office in Arcadia. The church is asking anyone willing to donate to call (318) 377-5103. (Copyright 2008, NBC 10/Fox 14 News, Written by Casey Ferrand)