12-year-old Guyana fire survivor returns to New York for special visit after recovering from burns

NEW YORK (WABC)– The memory is deeper than his wounds.

“I wish my friends lived with me,” Moriza Williams said. “I don't know who helped me. I passed out.”

Moriza, 12, is one of the few people to narrowly escape a fire that ravaged a girls' dormitory in Mahdia, Guyana, killing 20 children in May 2023.

Moriza's burns were so severe that she was the only survivor transported thousands of miles to Northwell Health in Staten Island.

Together we witnessed his painful arrival and his triumphant exit.

A year later, she returned to New York and spoke exclusively with Eyewitness News.

She has high hopes for a new season in her life.

She went to her first baseball game.

“This is us celebrating his journey, celebrating his courage,” said Dr. Eric Cioe-Pena, with Northwell Health.

Northwell management brought the Williams family back to the city for a second time. This time it was fully funded.

“She was in New York and didn’t have a chance to spend time in the city,” Dr. Cioe-Pena said. “I wanted them to come back and exhale.”

They wanted her to be able to do everything a child should do.

The hospital even paid tribute to Moriza and her journey, a difficult process for any parent to go through.

“Watching her, I lost a few pounds and I didn’t feel good,” said Max Williams, Moriza’s father.

Moriza stopped going to school for a while because of the trauma and was afraid of being teased about the scars she covered with her long sleeves.

She is now taking classes online and is determined to get back on track.

“I want to finish my studies,” Moriza said. “I am doing my best.”

No one is more proud of her than her parents.

“I say it’s because of God that you’re alive and going back to New York,” said Waveney Williams, Moriza’s mother.

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