Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

National rugby player in need of heart surgery

National rugby player in need of heart surgery

The British Virgin Islands Rugby Football Union (RFU) has collaborated with Castaway CrossFit to host a fundraiser event aimed at raising $15,000 for a local national rugby player who is in urgent need of heart surgery.

Kenrick ‘Jimmy’ Thomas who is a former student of the Elmore Stoutt High School recently received a medical diagnosis that he has a hole in the septum between his heart’s lower or upper chambers. This is called a Ventricular or Atrial Septal Defect.

Speaking to BVI News in a recent interview, Head Coach of the Rugby Football Union James Vaughan Turner said approximately $10,000 has already been raised, but he is calling on residents to continue supporting the cause to ensure Thomas receives his surgery which must be conducted off-island.

“Jimmy has a great number of friends and we are all trying our best to assist him. The BVI’s NHI will cover part of his medical costs but not all. He needs to raise between $15,000 to $20,000 in order to cover the costs of the operation. He is planning on having the operation in Puerto Rico,” Coach Turner said.

He added: “Jimmy is in good spirits, he has been raising money for his operation. Being unable to continue any training or sport has had a doubly negative impact for Jimmy. Coupled with having to learn of, and deal with his condition during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been very difficult for him but his motivation to succeed has helped him to push forward and strive forward.”

Teammates remain positive


Coach Turner said the news of Thomas’ diagnosis had his teammates initially concerned, but said their brotherhood mentality has helped to keep the entire team positive during this period.

“Jimmy is an important member of the team and when his team mates heard the news of his condition, they were shocked and concerned for his health. In rugby we have values and a culture and when one of our players is in need, we all come together to help each other out. Rugby is very special, it brings people together from all different cultures and backgrounds as one big family,” he explained.

Thomas is a gifted talent


The head coach further pointed to the many achievements of the 23-year-old Thomas, who has been successful during his tenure representing the national team.

“He has represented the BVI national rugby teams on numerous occasions in 7s and 15s rugby and has literally bled for the BVI in certain games, including losing a piece of his ear whilst playing for the BVI National Men’s 15’s rugby team against Barbados,” the coach stated.

“He has won several awards in rugby, such as the most valuable player for the under 19 tournaments in 2014 in Trinidad and the most improved player twice in 2017 and 2019. He captained his secondary school in a two-year undefeated streak. Jimmy has also been a very keen practitioner of Castaway CrossFit in the BVI,” he added.

Beach Rugby Fundraiser event


The fundraiser which is slated for the Brandywine Bay beach will consist of three categories of events of beach rugby which will all have teams of six players each.

These will include Senior Men’s Tackle with an entry fee of $200 per squad, Under-18 Men’s Tackle with an entry fee of $100, and Mixed Touch Rugby with an entry fee of $200.

The event will run from 9 am to 5 pm on Sunday November 22.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×