CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 85

The difficulties she faces are many.
“Mi family abandon mi. Dem tek weh mi pickney
dem from mi and ah two time bwoy pull mi
weh inna bush and rape mi wen mi sick,” she
bemoaned.
She explained that, when she was out of
medication and did not visit the psychiatric
clinic, she wandered the streets and was abused
by community members.
Winston Clarke, 56, has been in a relationship
with Elaine for some 15 years. They have been
married for seven. He has been aware of her
illness since then but is not bothered by it.

“When I met her, I knew she had the illness,
but I didn’t understand it. I didn’t know that
it would be an ongoing thing. She wasn’t even
seriously ill at that time because she was on
her medication,” he said.
Clarke confessed that he is unable to give her
the required financial support and is, as a
result, frustrated.
“I only realise something was wrong when I
caught her drinking a bottle of cooking oil. She
was out of medication at that point because,
although the Government provided it free of
cost, at times the pharmacy was out of stock,”
he explained.

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