For those who generously donated towards the surgery of this young lady....
Meseret Alamerehu suffered horribly with spinal TB. She had severe scoliosis and kyphosis causing her to breathe at less than 1/3 of her lung capacity. Her disability was progressive and would have worsened until it took her life.
Meseret left for Ghana with the other children in the photos on May 22nd and Dr. Oheneba Boachie performed corrective spine surgery on May 26th. The reports from the doctors in Ghana are positive and Meseret is expected to recover fully with significantly improved lung function, a straighter painless back and the progress of the disease abated.
Dr. OHENEBA BOACHIE is a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. At the Hospital for Special Surgery, Boachie was the first person named to hold the David B. Levine Chair in Spine Research. In the mid-1990s, having established his career as an orthopaedic spine surgeon, Dr. Boachie-Adjei dedicated himself to launching a foundation to provide orthopaedic and spine services to people in Ghana and other developing nations who do not receive adequate medical care.
Because of your generous donations, Meseret was able to have this life saving surgery, so you, in essence, have honestly participated in saving the life of this beautiful young woman. We are still accepting donations as we have not yet collected the full amount, but have promised in good faith to provide the funds. Please scroll down below for donation options.
To donate, please use the following link:
April 13, 2010
Behind this smiling face is a
very crooked spine. Meseret has lived with this debilitating spine her
entire life, a deformity that has severely impeded her breathing. She
now has a chance to have her back corrected. She and 19 other young
people have been accepted in Ghana for corrective spinal surgery that
will forever change their lives. Each surgery costs a mere 13,000
dollars.
Here is Meseret’s story. Be inspired. Be moved.
And please help us help her (and the others) by sending a tax-deductible donation to:
The Children’s Cross Connection Ethiopia
2192 Greencliff Drive
Atlanta, GA 30345
To donate, please use the following link:
When Meseret was 7 years old she ran away from her family in the countryside. After her father died, her mother became very depressed and it became difficult for her to live at home with her 3 brothers and 1 sister. In addition, she had a severe and progressive spinal deformity. So one day she picked up and made her way alone to Addis, Ababa.
Coming from her rural village, she speaks of how hard it was for her to adapt to life in a sprawling city, the loneliness that followed. She started baking injera, traditional Ethiopian bread, a common way for poor Ethiopian women to support themselves. She was also hired to work as a housekeeper for a woman-in exchange for a place to sleep.
In 2008, when Meseret was heading home from church one day, a stranger saw her awkward gait and spinal deformity, and directed Meseret to the Catholic Mission where Dr. Rick works. The following day she went for her very first exam.
At one point, when she had to come to clinic 2 days in a row, she was fired for “being too sick to work.” She was hired on-the-spot as a cook in Dr. Rick’s home, living with other displaced girls he supports.
Now in her teens, she is now a part-time cook and full-time private school student in Prestigious Youth Academy in 4th grade. She proudly tells us that she ranks #5 in her class, and her goal is to become a science teacher. She lives with 9 other youth in a house sponsored by the Children’s Cross Connection Ethiopia.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two best friends. They like studying together and also playing volleyball. She tells me, “I’m crazy about volleyball”.
Medically, her condition is progressive, and her chest deformity has limited her breathing to 1/3 what it should be. She is excited about the chance to get corrective surgery and go on building her life.
Thanks in Advance for your help,
Shelly Dollar
January 2010
Wow...It's amazing how quickly time has gone by. A quick note. Everyone is doing well in school.
Tesh and his hip hop group has an opportunity to perform for Akon's
wife, Rosina. She told me how much she enjoyed the kids and plans on
having them perform before her new artist, Zewdy. She also plans on
having an African Idol show and having the kids perform there as well.
Kudos for passing tests.
Kudos for good performances.
We love you guys.
September 2009
Kids have all started school. One group has written about their reasons for wanting an education. When reading their statements, remember that English is a third or fourth language for most of these kids.
Why do you want to go to school?
1. Melaku Worku
To get good education, get good job and help my self, family and needy people as I have been helped.
2. Yilak Tegaye
I go to school to knowledge, change my life and in the future to get job as well as help those who are in need of my help as much as I can.
3. Mohammed Kidir.
to get knowledge, I have a dream that one day I will be come a doctor and help patients with cancer problem.
4. Mekonnen Temesgen
I have a big dream In the future to achieve these I must go to school and get education. Education is the base for development and one way to get good job, I would like all that to happen and help my self and the people in need.
5. Tigist Amsayw
I go to school to get good education and get good job, and by the job I required for long time I would like to help my self and family.
6. Meseret Alamerow
Want to be good student with good result and become a teacher, go back to the country side and teach the community what education can do to them.
The older students are in a new house. Zinabu, a man who works for the Ethiopian government, teaches at the university and helps with UN missions, is acting as mentor and friend to the kids. He checks on them regularly making sure that the details regarding school and home are taken care of. He also acts as mentor, being an adult voice when needed.
If I had three wishes I would wish for a house and an education for
Teshale and then three more wishes. I would then wish for a house and
an education for Yilak and then three more wishes…The fact is there are
not enough wishes in the world to meet all of the needs of those
without, but we have identified a group of young people who, with your
help, can have their three wishes. The goal of this adventure is to
grant three hopes - a home, an education, and needed medical care - to
a select group of hard working students.
Rick Hodes, an American physician who has lived and worked in Ethiopia
for most of his adult life, has taken in many children over the years.
He currently houses his five adopted sons and ten other young people in
his personal home. He also houses ten others in a separate home. He
has treated them all as family and writes: “I have been supporting
around 20 non-adopted kids in various ways, paying school fees, giving
stipends for food, and paying housing for them. Often all this is
out-of-pocket. As my own adopted Ethiopian kids grow, I can no longer
continue to (give) money to these people. Without extra help to pay
school fees and housing, their futures will be greatly diminished.” We,
with your help, would like to keep their dreams alive.
The children above are those that we would like to help. Many have had
extensive surgery to correct medical problems: Mohammed, 17, lost one
leg from osteosarcoma. Dr. Hodes moved him into his home several years
ago. He received 6 cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin + doxorubicin.
Mohammed is now cured and wants to be a doctor. Some came from small
villages: Yilak, 20, is the son of a priest/farmer from rural
Lalibella. He came to Addis to shine shoes to pay for his school fees.
A client told him “you have a really bad back; go to Mother Teresa’s
Mission and ask to see Dr. Rick.” Now he has had surgery and is
studying accounting. Others were street children: Tihunie, 16, was an
orphan with terrible scoliosis. She had surgery in Ghana, now is going
to school.
Our goals include: providing a house for eight of the teens that will
otherwise soon be without a house; providing funds for education at the
schools in which they are currently enrolled; providing food, clothing
and other necessities; providing adult counsel as needed; and providing
medical care. For those still living in Dr. Hodes’ home, we plan to
provide funds for continued education through high school.
Please consider generously
helping these young people by giving a one time or ongoing tax
deductible donation to: The Children’s Cross Connection Ethiopia. You
can donate through:
