Lion Ellen Goldberg provides a story how Lion connections help service those in need.
I received an email from fellow Lion Myrna Ann asking for assistance for a young man in DR Congo. He has an uncle in Kinshasa, DR Congo, who learned he needs emergency surgery on his eye. He has a mass that unless removed he will go blind, according to his doctor, and there is no one in DR Congo who can do the surgery. He is only in his late 30s and is a father of three. He is working on getting a B-2 visa to the US for medical treatment. To obtain the visa, he would first need to find a doctor in the US.
After receiving the patient’s medical records, it was determined a neurosurgeon needs to remove the tumor on the optic nerve. Transferring the patient from DR Congo to other African countries or Europe would be more feasible than trying to obtain a visa to the United States.
I was able to relay this information to Ophthalmologists at the Sue Anschutz – Rodgers Eye Center (RMLEI) who have done quite a bit of work outside the United States and have contacts all over the world. They were able to identify a neurosurgeon at University of Colorado Hospital from Egypt that speaks French while also engaging an endocrinologist for her expertise. The neurosurgeon corresponded in French about the best next steps.
Because of connections, groups of people that are committed to helping others were able to come together and work on behalf of someone across the world. I hope this story provides a sense of hope and inspiration. Let us try to rely more on others and try to respond to that reliance and the world will certainly be a better place.
A Big Lion Roar for Lion Ellen efforts