Education
Thalisa Williams-Waithe Graduates After Overcoming Rare Disease Challenges
Thalisa Williams-Waithe, once denied vital medication for a rare disease, graduated from the Florida Education Institute, marking a miraculous turnaround in her life and health.
5 min read
Originally published by nationnews.com (opens in new tab)
Twenty years ago, the headline was about desperation. A four-year-old girl, fighting a rare and debilitating disease, was being denied vital medication by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Her mother, Theresa Small, was locked in a battle for her daughter’s life.
Today, the narrative has shifted dramatically.
Thalisa Williams-Waithe is now 24 years old. She recently stood before an audience in Miami, Florida, reading a speech at her graduation from the Florida Education Institute – a moment her mother describes as nothing short of a miracle.
Thalisa Small-Waithe showing off the diploma which she received from the Florida Education Institute in culinary arts.(GP)
“It brought tears to my eyes when Thalisa read her speech and her thank you,” Theresa told the Sunday Sun during a recent interview. “She was not even able to read years before that. To see her now . . . .”
Vitamin B12 injection
Two decades have passed since this newspaper first highlighted Thalisa’s struggle with Methylmalonic Acidemia (MMA), a rare metabolic disorder. At that time, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was refusing to dispense a crucial Vitamin B12 injection needed to fight infections. Thalisa’s medical condition was also the first of its kind in Barbados.
Theresa recalls those early years as a blur of hospital stays and medical crises.
“Thalisa spent most of her life in the hospital. When she did come home, she would spend a day or two before she’d go back again,” Theresa said, as she recalled the many seizures which left her always wondering if her daughter would survive.
The illness took a heavy toll on the family. Theresa’s son, Christopher, struggled with the attention his sick sister required, often fearing he would lose her. Doctors had given a grim prognosis, but Theresa refused to give up. She pursued nursing to better understand her daughter’s care, eventually becoming a certified nursing assistant.
Life took an unexpected turn in 2024 when Theresa, then working in the Immigration Department, was reassigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was appointed as a diplomat to the Barbados Consulate in Miami heading the accounts section.
It was a massive transition, but one Theresa knew she had to take as a package deal. Along with her husband, she took Thalisa and her ten-year-old granddaughter, Ariyah, to the United States.
The move offered Thalisa a fresh start. After attending the Ursuline Convent and the Derek Smith Vocational Centre in Barbados, she enrolled in the pastry and baking programme at the Florida Education Institute.
