“I want other civil servants to know what I have gone through so they will know that they are not safe. You can lose your job, you can get hurt - anything can happen,” she said.

“Don’t think that you are safe because you work for the Government, the same thing that happened to me can happen to you too.”

“There are lots of former civil servants in Cayman, who, after working for the Government for years, have become ill or injured and can’t help themselves and no one is willing to assist them,” she explained.

As a result of what she considers a case of neglect and injustice, Ms Dilbert has decided to relate her experiences to Cayman Net News in an attempt to inform and forewarn fellow civil servants.

Ms Dilbert worked as a Clerical Officer for seventeen years for the former Agricultural and Industrial Development Board now known as the Cayman Islands Development Bank (CIDB). However Ms Dilbert explained that in February 2000, after visiting her doctor, she was diagnosed with having several abdominal hernias.

“When I went to the doctor he asked me, ‘What have you been lifting?’ because the case was so severe,” she said.

“At that time I began to think about all the heavy lifting I was required to do at work because I had to lift the boxes with files and so forth. Also, during that period, we were making the move from Elizabethan Square to the Tower Building and I was required to do a lot of lifting at that time too.”

Ms Dilbert presented letters from her doctor here in the Cayman Islands, which stated that, “Ms (Dilbert’s) surgeon and relevant physical examinations have concluded her multiple abdominal hernias were a result of strenuous activity. This is in keeping with the suggestion that injury occurred while performing activities at work in February 2000.”

“My doctor sent me to see doctors in Miami who told me after my examination that my stomach had collapsed, causing the bottom of my stomach to open. They said they had to operate but after getting prepared for the surgery and everything was set to be done, I was told my insurance, which was provided by the Government, was cancelled,” she said.

“I had to leave Miami and return to Cayman without doing the surgery.”

Ms Dilbert said she was subsequently deemed unable to work by the Cayman Islands Health Services Department and was permanently retired from her duties.

A letter dated July 2001 from the organisation declared, “Mrs Dilbert-Cowans has a permanent disability ...and should be retired on medical grounds.”

She explained that since then, she has had three surgeries done with no assistance from the Government.

“I still have two more surgeries to do,” she explained.

In addition to the operations, Ms Dilbert has to wear specially designed braces for her mid-area and is also on medication, for which she said she has had to bear the expenses.

To make matters worse, in 2004, Ms Dilbert and the rest of the Cayman Islands faced the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan.

“I lost everything in the hurricane,” she said through tears.

“I applied to the Department of Children and Family Services for help but was told that I do not qualify for such assistance.”

Ms Dilbert also presented Cayman Net News with a copy of this letter, which stated, “...The Committee determined that you do not qualify for this assistance under the Poor Persons (Relief) Law (1977 Revision) Section 2. It was noted that you are still a young woman and according to your medical report able to do office work.”

The Committee therefore agreed to assist Ms Dilbert temporarily with food and rental while she looked for employment.

Despite the fact that she was retired on the grounds of permanent disability, Ms Dilbert said she has made numerous attempts to seek employment, which have all been futile.

“No one wants to employ me in this condition,” she said.

She has however continued to serve the Cayman society regardless of her hardships and misfortune in several useful capacities.

Ms Dilbert has worked with the Cayman Islands Pirates Week and Cayman Islands Batabano (Carnival) as a local dress designer for over 20 years, creating elaborate dresses and costumes for pageants and parades.

In 2003, she won the Golden Apple Award for “The Best International Fashion and Costume” design at the Russian Expo competition in Moscow. She also received the award for the longest participant in the Batabano festival. Her costume designs won best costume in International pageants held in Turkey and Moscow.

Ms Dilbert was also named the exclusive license-holder on the Islands for the Miss Tourism World Organisation, which held the franchise for several international pageants including, the Model of the World pageant, the Miss Bikini World and Model of the Universe.

Ms Dilbert also taught grooming and etiquette classes to many young Caymanians providing them with tips on walking, speech and poise.

However disaster has struck again, as she was recently evicted from her home in the Fairbanks Trailer Park, where she has lived for nearly two years.

But Ms Dilbert said, “I am not going down like that, I am going to fight for my rights and stand up for myself until I get what I deserve.

“I am planning to have this march not just for myself but for every civil servant and would encourage other residents and workers in the Civil Service to come out and join. It’s time for Caymanians to stand up for what’s right.

“I am not here for any help or to beg anything because I am going to fight this,” she said.

“Even if no one supports this march, I will still go out there and represent those individuals in the Civil Service who may be afraid. But you should be ashamed of yourself if you don’t come out and join me in this endeavour,” she said.

“I will not stop or give up until justice is done for civil servants, even if I have to write a letter to London. I am going to do that until justice is served,” said Ms Dilbert.

athaliah@caymannetnews.com