A Trinidadian family is stuck in Utah in the United States where they had gone to get access to physical therapy for six-year-old Antonio who is suffering from cerebral palsy. They were due to leave the US on April 1st, but Trinidad and Tobago’s borders were closed on March 28th which was the last day of Antonio’s therapy.

“The Smiths, including Farahnaz, her husband Shawn, 13-year-old daughter Rukyyah and six years old  Antonio are in Utah because Farahnaz was looking for special therapies to help her son — who has cerebral palsy that also has kept him wheelchair-bound as a quadriplegic. Though he has very little body function, he can speak and learn,” the HeraldExtra online newspaper reported.

“After two years of searching for a place that would give her son special therapy, she found the Now I Can Foundation in Provo, which is a partner agency with United Way of Utah County which was having a contest for JetBlue airline tickets to bring the winner to Utah for therapy sessions.  Farahnaz entered the contest the second week in February. The family won and the four of them were in Utah by the second week in March to start Antonio’s therapy.

“Antonio had intensive therapy five days a week, for three weeks from highly trained therapists that we don’t have at home,” Farahnaz told the newspaper.  “The family was to leave to go back to Trinidad at the end of March. The tickets from JetBlue expired on April 1. However, the last day of Antonio’s therapy, around March 28, Trinidad closed all of its borders and locked down the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Shawn Smith is from Barbados and they thought they might fly there as JetBlue flies into Barbados as well. The Smiths even had a scheduled flight, but on the actual way to the airport, they were notified on their cell phone that Barbados closed its borders. Luckily JetBlue has extended the dated on the donated tickets.“May 2 is when Trinidad is supposed to open their borders, but we are taking everything day by day,” Farahnaz said.

“The Smiths are in quarantine limbo, in a home reserved for patient’s families owned by the Now I Can Foundation. The home was being used when the Smiths first got stuck. They were staying in a one-room lodging at a Provo Best Western hotel. Their relatives in Trinidad are taking turns sending weekly cheques for the family and local food banks are being contacted for help,” the HeraldExtra online reports.