Bahamas News
Jeffrey Arnett of Inagua considers himself a walking miracle
#TheBahamas, February 9, 2022 – Ask Jeffrey Arnett who he is and the first thing he says is athlete. From martial arts as a child to basketball as a teen, to running and brisk walking when he could no longer run, the incredibly fit Arnett nearly had to pack it all in with debilitating deterioration until surgery at Cleveland Clinic Florida gave him his life back. At age 57, the man who only a few years ago could not even sit or lie down without pain, who could not tie his own shoelaces, now runs, does squats and feels like the full measure of who he remembered being. 
Arnett, a native of Inagua who spent 37 years at Morton Salt before retiring, was in his late 20’s when he first felt an intense pain. The sensation worsened over the next few years but remained bearable until one day, making a fast break in a basketball game, he felt a searing pain so severe it was like a sword poking him in his pelvic joint.
At first, he thought it was a muscle sprain, but the pain was so persistent that Arnett had to give up basketball, redirecting his energies to helping young children in the community, teaching martial arts and sports. Still, he could not shake the pain. Over the next years, he sought medical help at home, in the Dominican Republic and in Cuba. It was a doctor in Nassau who correctly diagnosed his problem as a severely arthritic hip joint but advised against hip replacement because of Arnett’s young age, saying he would have to undergo the surgery and recovery again in 10-15 years so suggested he hold out as long as possible.
Six years later, still with pain his constant companion, Arnett travelled to Cuba for a second opinion where he was told he had the hip of an 80-year-old man. He completed therapy in Cuba, discontinued running and took up brisk walking instead. But his condition continued to worsen. His disfigured left hip joint had caused one of his legs to become shorter than the other, leaving him with a limp. 
Years later, at age 54, resigned to the need for a hip replacement, Arnett turned to Cleveland Clinic Florida (CCF), the hospital that had saved his life four years earlier in what doctors called a miracle of timing following a harrowing trip with blood clots blocking oxygen and experiencing deep vein thrombosis, causing him to blackout. In that life-and-death scenario, where any breath could have been his last, Arnett had one stroke of good luck after another, with Bahamasair flight attendants even booking his transportation upon landing after the flight was held up for 90 frightening minutes due to a storm. When he arrived at the Weston, Florida hospital, suffering from multiple blood clots (pulmonary embolisms) that had passed through his heart and into his lungs, doctors whisked Arnett into emergency surgery. Two larger clots (deep vein thrombosis or DVT’s) were found in his pelvic artery which would have killed him had they become free. He calls it “a miracle” they caught them in time and he was still alive.
CCF performed a microscopic operation with two injections in the neck to place an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter in the main artery in his stomach to stop clot from travelling up Arnett’s leg, and ran an endovascular catheter-vibration system (echo-vibration) through the heart and to the lungs to gently break up the clots in the lungs. Doctors told Arnett few people who suffer blackout from clots ever wake up. Arnett praised God for his safe recovery.
Now, four years later in April 2021, Arnett was back at Cleveland Clinic Florida, this time for the hip replacement surgery he had put off until he could not take the pain any longer. It was so intense he could not lie down. Tying his shoe laces was impossible. Bending sent knife-like slivers through his body. Arnett’s wife, Darcia, contacted Cleveland’s in-country representative, Shenika Nesbitt, and the two worked together to arrange his appointment with CCF’s orthopedic team, including his flight, transportation and accommodation.
The hip replacement surgery was conducted by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Preetesh Patel,
“I wanted to give Mr. Arnett a frank, honest assessment of his condition which I could tell was very painful, debilitating and affecting his daily life. It was important help him understand why surgery was the only viable option at that late stage,” said Dr. Patel. A filter was placed in Arnett’s stomach to prevent potential blood clots due to his history of clotting, and on April 15, 2021 the two-hour hip replacement surgical procedure was successfully completed.
Eight months later and back home in Inagua, Arnett says “I have a new lease on life and feel like my old, active self again. I can now walk, raise my knees, squat and more with no shooting pains, like nothing ever happened.”
A 4-5 inch incision which will fade in time is the only physical evidence of the surgery.
“Everything at Cleveland Clinic in Florida was good and the doctors and staff treated me very well; they made me feel so comfortable,” Arnett said. “Had I known the process would have been so easy, I would have done it 100 times over before. My only regret is not having the surgery done sooner.”
Recently retired as a Maintenance Supervisor from Morton Salt after 37 years of service, Arnett thanks God and the team at Cleveland Clinic, Florida. He will also be forever be indebted to his wife, Darcia, his daughters, Maya and Asia, his Mom and other close family members who shared the journey with him. He considers himself today a “walking miracle.”
Photo Captions:
Header: Jeffrey Arnett, now active and fully recovered after successfully undergoing hip replacement surgery to fix crippling pain at Cleveland Clinic, the second time the clinic saved the life of the athlete who friends call the miracle man.
1st insert: The Arnett’s – (standing L-R) daughters Asia and Maya; (seated L-R) Darcia Arnett (wife), Hanna (niece) and Jeffrey
2nd insert: Able to run again! Jeffrey Arnett demonstrating his agility after successful hip replacement surgery at Cleveland Clinic, Florida.
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
