Jamaican dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel who was released from prison on July 31 after being freed of a murder charge is considering St. Vincent and the Grenadines for treatment of his Graves’ Disease.
In an interview with Television Jamaica (TVJ) one week after being freed after 13 years in prison, the “World Boss” said doctors have diagnosed him with Graves’ disease.
“But me nah ready fuh di grave. So, we just call it hyperthyroid disease,” said the artiste, whose real name is Adidja Palmer.
The American Thyroid Association describes Graves’ disease as an autoimmune disease that leads to a generalised overactivity of the entire thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).
It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the United States and is named after Robert Graves, an Irish physician, who described this form of hyperthyroidism about 150 years ago.
It is seven to eight times more common in women than men.
Kartel said that during the first stages of his illness, he used to sweat a lot, his hands would shake and he had swelling of the eyes.
“A matter of fact, it’s not only treatable, it curable,” he said adding that he will be flying out to meet with “some high-tech team” possible in St. Vincent, Cuba or Switzerland to “seek out the best treatment possible”.
Kartel was among artistes sending out birthday greetings to Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, another self-styled “world boss”, who turned 78 on Thursday.
The artiste said he was not sensitive to the physical changes to his body, saying that if determination were a person, it would be him.
However, he was speaking with his face covered with bandanas, revealing only his sunglasses and his forehead.
Kartel said his dress code was a style, adding that there are videos of him on TikTok with his face uncovered.
The artiste said he wants to become an advocate for Grave’s disease.
He told TVJ that freedom feels good.
He sent “much love” to his “Gaza nation” supporters, thanking them for being by his side, caring for him, making him feel loved and appreciated and giving him hope.
To the people who feel that he is guilty of the murder of Clive “Lizard” William, Kartel said:
“Right now, mi too busy ah mek money … fi worry bout fi dem opinion. Mi too busy wid mi fiancée, mi too busy wid me kids, wid me two grandchildren dem to even think about haters. That ah the answer fi dem. Sorry, not sorry.”
On July 31, the Jamaica Court of Appeal freed Kartel when it unanimously decided against ordering a retrial for the 2011 murder of Williams.
The court also freed Kartel’s co-accused, Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John.
The decision was made by a three-judge panel made up of Justices Marva McDonald-Bishop, Paulette Williams and David Fraser.
The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Marva McDonald Bishop in announcing the unanimous decision said despite facts of the case showing “barefaced defiance of law and order”, the court had to consider other factors, such as the length of time the men have already been in custody and the psychological and health impact on the appellants if a new trial were to be ordered.
Defence lawyers, particularly for Kartel, had cited the artiste’s declining mental and physical health, noting his Grave’s Disease diagnosis.
Lawyers representing the quartet appealed to the local Court of Appeal in 2020, but their convictions were upheld.
Their appeal was then taken to the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, and on March 14, their murder convictions were overturned on the grounds of juror misconduct.
The Privy Council then remitted the case back to the Jamaica Court of Appeal to decide whether there should be a retrial.