CAY HILL--Former Member of Parliament (MP) Theo Heyliger has been discharged from the St Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) and returned to the care and custody of prison authorities following treatment for diverticulitis complicated by a perforation involving his colon, his wife Grisha Heyliger-Marten said Tuesday.
Heyliger-Marten, speaking in her personal capacity as his wife, said the latest medical results were encouraging and that her husband had improved sufficiently to leave the hospital. She stressed, however, that his recovery is not complete.
“I am thankful that Theo is doing better and that the doctors considered him well enough to leave the hospital. But he has just come through a serious medical episode. He is now back in the care of the Justice authorities, and with that care comes the responsibility to make sure his recovery is not compromised,” Heyliger-Marten said.
Theo was diagnosed with diverticulosis in 2018. The current episode of diverticulitis was complicated by a perforation involving the colon. Heyliger-Marten said his known medical history makes proper nutrition, hydration, medication and follow-up care particularly important going forward.
“Theo has lived with diverticulosis for years without an episode of this seriousness. He has now suffered a significant flare-up while living in an environment where he has little control over his diet and is under considerable stress. As his wife, I cannot ignore those circumstances, and I do not want them ignored as he recovers.”
She said an appropriate meal plan needs to be identified as part of his continuing medical care, based on professional medical or dietary advice, and implemented while he remains in custody.
“This cannot simply be a case of sending him back to prison and returning to business as usual. We need to know what he should be eating while he recovers, what he should avoid, how his hydration will be maintained and how those requirements are going to be accommodated by the prison.”
Heyliger-Marten also noted that Theo began taking cholesterol-lowering medication while incarcerated, which she said has added to the family’s broader concern about his diet, nutrition and overall health management during his imprisonment.
“I am not pretending to be his doctor, and I am not saying that one thing alone caused what happened. What I am saying is that there are enough warning signs for us to take his nutrition seriously. He has had to start cholesterol medication while in prison, he has a longstanding history of diverticulosis, and he has now been hospitalised with diverticulitis and a perforation. We should learn from what has happened and make sure the conditions for his recovery are right.”
Heyliger-Marten said the responsibility now rests with the Ministry of Justice and the prison authorities to ensure continuity of the care recommended following his hospitalisation.
“He is in their care now. The hospital has treated him and discharged him back into their custody. Justice must now make sure that his medication is administered as prescribed, that an appropriate meal plan is established and followed, that he remains properly hydrated, that he can access the facilities he needs and that any recurrence of pain, fever or other symptoms receives prompt medical attention.”
She stressed that she is not asking for preferential treatment. “I am asking for responsible treatment. When the authorities deprive someone of his liberty, they also assume responsibility for his care while he is in their custody. Theo’s medical condition is now known. His recent hospitalisation is known. What he requires during his recovery must therefore be taken seriously.”
Heyliger-Marten expressed appreciation to the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who cared for her husband and said the family would continue to monitor his recovery closely.
“We are grateful for the care Theo received and encouraged that he is improving. Now my concern as his wife is very simple: protect that progress. He is back in the hands of the Justice authorities, and I expect them to make sure he receives the care, nutrition and medical follow-up necessary for him to recover properly.”
