THREE years after the Jamaica Observer shared her desperate appeal for life-saving heart surgery, 28-year-old Jessica James is again racing against time — only now, she wants to prevent irreversible damage to her heart with another open-heart procedure that is expected to cost her US$13,000.

James, of Rock District in Falmouth, Trelawny, is seeking financial assistance to undergo an atrial septal defect (ASD) and tricuspid valve repair at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), after doctors discovered severe leakage of her tricuspid valve and a small leak in the patch that was used to repair the congenital hole in her heart during the first surgery.

The condition has left her grappling with shortness of breath, fatigue, and fluid retention while relying on medication to manage her symptoms.