Medical care DENIED

Greetings all,

Today's update is not the news for which we had hoped. We arrived at the social worker´s office right around 8am. She said that before she could offer us any aid, we had to get xrays. So, after having to pay $20 (finally discounted to 9 after lots of effort) to see the surgeon general and $20 for xrays, the surgeon assured us that the surgery was possible and indeed necessary. The total cost of the 240 minute operation would be $4900 and some change. After hours of pushing and pleading, all she would offer us was $1000, leaving the remaining four grand up to us. The staff (including the head doctor) was shocked. They sent us up to the director´s office, but the secretary tried to send us straight back to social services. At that point I went back to find Sonia, the nurse who has been helping us. She assured me that we had the right to meet with the director and made some calls. Still, no one would tell us whether or not we could meet him, or when. I just starting asking every white man I saw (because we knew the director was indeed a Caucasian American) if they were the director, and finally I caught him, about to go into the bathroom.

I asked for 5 minutes of his time. After beginning to explain, he clearly had already heard about the situation and told me that he couldn´t help. I pulled out the xrays, to show him the break. He said ¨oh my, this needs to be operated on. And now. But, you either need to work harder on fundraising or go to a public hospital.¨I told him that Jose had already been to a public hospital when the accident happened in the 3rd largest city in Ecuador and this was how they left him. He replied by telling me that ¨when we help situations like this, the family rolls up in a Mercedes to pick them up.¨I told him that we have seen their family, they have nothing, including the compassion to help. I told him that I know there is a ton of suffering in the world, but that God clearly put this couple in our lives and we cannot walk away until we receive help. I also told him that we felt God called us to go to his hospital, and that their website led us to believe they would help. When he issued the final ¨no,¨I teared up and he told me in a patronizing voice that I had ¨become emotionally involved,¨and that he would pray for me to be able to disconnect from the situation. I told him it was Jose and Rosa that needed his prayers and walked away.

Needless to say, we are heartbroken.

Jeremiah and Miguel are currently taking Jose and Rosa to the public hospital. The social worker said that if we check them in tonight and come back at 5am we MIGHT be seen tomorrow. Even if the surgery is ¨covered¨ there, she said that no hospital, private or public would buy the plates and pins, which somehow total to $1500. After discussing this with Jose and Rosa, this same price was given to them 10 months ago and is the reason that they didn´t fix the leg.

Friends, allies, if you can give, please do. If you have already given, thank you! and please get someone you know to give. Donations of any size help both financially and emotionally (as it always lifts our spirits to see another donation). Please believe me that we are going to fight tooth and nail to get all costs covered. Every step of the way, we have explained that any dollar someone charges us is one less dollar this couple can have towards a house and the bare essentials of life. Still, we know we need more money.

As for the specific prayer of today, please pray that Jeremiah and Miguel find Jose and Rosa lodging at the hospital for the night.

still, love wins,
allison

PS I just added the pictures, one of their sweet faces, one of the leg, and if you scroll down to the bottom, you will see Jeremiah, Jose, Rosa, and me.