Yusuf Update: Surgery is ON!
God has done amazing things for this little baby Yusuf! After doing lots of research a couple of months ago, we were able to find a hospital in Delhi willing to discount their services in liver transplant for Yusuf and his family. And not just any hospital. According to their surgeon, they are the number one, #1, hospital in the world for infant liver transplants. Seriously.
So the doctors all agreed to work for free, and gave them a bed in the government ward, also free. Their only costs will be medicines and consumables through their stay. But this will still amount to a whopping $15,000. Not to mention Yusuf will need about $150 of medications for 24 months post-surgery. Shew.
So we began to pray that God would provide this amount. And that Yusuf's father could be a donor. Turns out he's compatible, he can give Yusuf a small lobe of his liver. What a praise!
And, within just a few weeks, our family members, who have been here and met this family and grown to love them... our family asked their church to give a special love offering to help. They raised enough for half the surgery and for the medication afterward for two full years! We couldn't believe it! What an answer to prayer!
At the same time this was all happening, I got a message from a friend that I've never actually met. This same friend told us about the grant foundation who funded over half of our adoption. She wrote to tell me of a medical aid foundation called First Hand Foundation. We contacted them, and they sent me the application. Here is where the drama began!
We had only 5 days to get the application turned in. The committee meets once a month, so it was 5 days, or wait a month for the surgery. The only way to get everything that was needed, including lots of documents from the hospital, was for me to go to Delhi.
On Tuesday, the day before the application was due, I got up at 5 a.m., went to the train station, had a four hour journey to Delhi, then an auto, the metro, a short walk, and was at the hospital by 11:30. I spent a few hours there meeting with surgeons and doctors, and visiting Yusuf and his sweet mother and father. I was miraculously able to walk out at 3:00 with ALL the papers I needed, signed, ready to go. I grabbed a quick bite to eat, then short walk, metro and auto back to the train station. There was terrible traffic getting back to the from the metro to the station, and at 5:20, still stuck in an auto, I wasn't sure I was going to make my 5:35 train! I panicked prayerfully, and the jam opened up and my driver sped through the gap and got me to the station at 5:25. I threw Rs. 100 at him and ran off, up the platform, scanning the 6 trains that were there, trying to figure out which one was mine... finally found it! Then, I had to channel an NFL linebacker to make my way down the staircase that was shoulder to shoulder people... "Me juldi main hun!!" (I'm in a hurry!!) I had decided already I was willing to hop on a moving train, as long as it was slowly moving. Thankfully, it didn't come to that. I sat down in my seat with about 4 minutes to spare. : )
The next morning, we scanned everything and emailed it to First Hand. Within a week we had heard back. Yes, the remainder of the surgery costs would be covered by First Hand!
God is so good and is really looking after this family. Please take a moment to just praise Him and thank Him for his goodness right now...
So the doctors all agreed to work for free, and gave them a bed in the government ward, also free. Their only costs will be medicines and consumables through their stay. But this will still amount to a whopping $15,000. Not to mention Yusuf will need about $150 of medications for 24 months post-surgery. Shew.
So we began to pray that God would provide this amount. And that Yusuf's father could be a donor. Turns out he's compatible, he can give Yusuf a small lobe of his liver. What a praise!
And, within just a few weeks, our family members, who have been here and met this family and grown to love them... our family asked their church to give a special love offering to help. They raised enough for half the surgery and for the medication afterward for two full years! We couldn't believe it! What an answer to prayer!
At the same time this was all happening, I got a message from a friend that I've never actually met. This same friend told us about the grant foundation who funded over half of our adoption. She wrote to tell me of a medical aid foundation called First Hand Foundation. We contacted them, and they sent me the application. Here is where the drama began!
We had only 5 days to get the application turned in. The committee meets once a month, so it was 5 days, or wait a month for the surgery. The only way to get everything that was needed, including lots of documents from the hospital, was for me to go to Delhi.
On Tuesday, the day before the application was due, I got up at 5 a.m., went to the train station, had a four hour journey to Delhi, then an auto, the metro, a short walk, and was at the hospital by 11:30. I spent a few hours there meeting with surgeons and doctors, and visiting Yusuf and his sweet mother and father. I was miraculously able to walk out at 3:00 with ALL the papers I needed, signed, ready to go. I grabbed a quick bite to eat, then short walk, metro and auto back to the train station. There was terrible traffic getting back to the from the metro to the station, and at 5:20, still stuck in an auto, I wasn't sure I was going to make my 5:35 train! I panicked prayerfully, and the jam opened up and my driver sped through the gap and got me to the station at 5:25. I threw Rs. 100 at him and ran off, up the platform, scanning the 6 trains that were there, trying to figure out which one was mine... finally found it! Then, I had to channel an NFL linebacker to make my way down the staircase that was shoulder to shoulder people... "Me juldi main hun!!" (I'm in a hurry!!) I had decided already I was willing to hop on a moving train, as long as it was slowly moving. Thankfully, it didn't come to that. I sat down in my seat with about 4 minutes to spare. : )
The next morning, we scanned everything and emailed it to First Hand. Within a week we had heard back. Yes, the remainder of the surgery costs would be covered by First Hand!
God is so good and is really looking after this family. Please take a moment to just praise Him and thank Him for his goodness right now...
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