Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle: or who shall rest upon they holy Hill? He that sweareth unto his neighbour and disappointeth him not: though it were to his own hindrance. – Psalm 15:1 and 5.
The last thing my sister, the late Alicia Massiah-Cumberbatch, who died in February 2011, asked me to do was to make her a promise to never to write about singing superstar Rihanna. To which I had agreed.
But here I am breaking it with the permission of her husband. I beg her spirit to forgive me for doing so, as she rests in paradise – the resting place of the divine, before the judgment of God.
I could not resist the temptation to write about her after she donated $3.5 million in equipment to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
The donation, given through the Clara Lionel Foundation, consisted of three pieces of equipment which would no doubt go a far way in helping all who are suffering from cancer and also help with the efficient delivery of service.
Minister of Health Donville Inniss said that the Department of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine had been severely challenged by the lack of equipment, supplies and staff and said the generous contribution would touch thousands of lives directly and indirectly.
“Our QEH will now be in a much better position to diagnose, treat and manage those who are afflicted by various forms of cancer. We cannot quantify your donations in dollars and cents alone. The tremendous impact upon the lives of so many Barbadians and their families is immeasurable,” Inniss said.
I would also like to thank Rihanna for her generosity towards her country Barbados and do hope that those Barbadians out there with wealth will follow her example.
St Paul in his letter to the Galatians reminds us in Galatians 6:9-10 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
