Father’s Day ‘Celebration of Life’ aids recovery of gunshot victim
By Ryan Haas
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Left~~NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK-NATIONALS living abroad gathered this past Sunday (June 15th) for a day of food, fun and music entitled ‘Celebration of Life’ which was aimed at raising funds to offset the medical bills of Kittitian Lenny Ottley, who was shot and left paralyzed.
Friends and countrymen who gathered at the New York City celebration were treated to the performances of several new and formal national calypsonians, which one attendee said “reminded [him] of the fun calypso days of the 1970s and 1980s”.
Performers at the ‘Celebration of Life’ included DJ Marrishaw, King Entertainer, De Village Boys, the Cayon Crew, the Sandy Point Group, and the New Town Breadfruit Tree Gang.
Patrons called it a “live and lively” display of St. Kitts’ culture and a “privilege to share a few old calypsos and extempore” with the performers and other nationals.
According to a release on the ‘Celebration of Life’ event, “Lenny Ottley was visibly moved as he expressed his deepest appreciation to the organizers and supporters”.
On December 8th, 2007 two young men entered the family owned and operated business, Ottley’s Enterprises in Buckley’s Site and fired six shots during an armed robbery.
Lenny Ottley was struck in the back by two bullets before the bandits made off with the money from the cash register.
SKNVibes.com spoke to Ottley’s mother, Idetha Ottley, who still resides in St. Kitts and she stated that she was glad to see her son receiving help stateside, as medical bills for his multiple surgeries and physical therapy are beginning to pile up.
“He underwent his first surgery about two months ago. Lenny was paralyzed in both legs when he was shot, but he told me that now he has some degree of movement returning to him,” she informed. “It is all in the hands of God now.”
Idetha Ottley was present at the location the night her son was shot and told this media house that she still “could hardly find the words” to describe the senseless act of violence that left her son paralyzed.
She said her son had a long road to recovery, if he ever fully recovered and thanked the organizers of the event and all who had offered support of any form to Lenny.
