The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A relative is calling for donations to help the victims of a suspected arson attack.

Gail Hanna, cousin of 57-year-old quadriplegic Michael Wells, took to Facebook to ask for funds after hearing about incident this week.

On Tuesday, Mr Wells and his father - who suffers from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease - were in their house when someone allegedly entered and threw a substance on the roof in an attempt to light the house on fire.

Ms Hanna, who calls Mr Wells her uncle, found out when he messaged via Facebook to find out if she had discover what happened to him.

“It was disturbing to try to consider the gravity of what he was saying had happened. The article came online the next day, and I actually saw the photo of the burnt ceiling,” she told The Tribune.

“My uncle would have been burned alive in his home, unable to assist him or to call for assistance. To me, it takes a truly disturbed person to commit this act, regardless of what the intention is. I am grateful that there was no loss of life, and I have an opportunity to try to turn this into a positive and help my uncle.”

Although her uncle is waiting on an official estimate, Ms Hanna said it was roughly calculated to cost about $2,000 - including material and labour. She did not have an exact amount of how much was raised so far as Mr Wells' account is managed by his caretaker and his parents.

She thanked those who have donated or expressed their intent to donate. She also thanked those who expressed interest in buying Mr Wells' books. He has a book series called The Unicorn and was in the 2008 Bahamian film, “I Am Not a Dummy”, that showed his life and work.

Ms Hanna added: “There are many people in our families who deal with the struggle of having a disability, whether it be physically or otherwise, on a regular basis. The added pressure of this quarantine period can wear on them in even more ways than you can imagine.”

“I would also encourage people to keep the mental health of those in our community in mind, as we keep our own. The fact is that someone who is doing well mentally would not think to do something like this, no matter the intent. Make sure to check in on your people.”

Donations can be made to the account #2001450 named The Unicorn c/o D Phillips at Commonwealth Bank. The swift code is COMWBSNS and the Branch ID #21102. The address is East Bay St, Nassau.