Great Big Tiny Miracles…
On October 1st, 2012, we entered the home and life of Kiryat. This little girl, just over a month old, had a big problem. Kiryat had a malignant tumor on the underside of her liver that grew more fatal everyday it went untreated. Her family: mother, father, and grandfather had set a date for an operation in Tijuana, Mexico to have the tumor removed but had not yet gathered the 50,000 pesos (nearly $4,000 US) needed for the procedure. To help the family raise money, Coca-Cola donated 40 cases of Coke to them to sell for 10 pesos a piece. This loving donation did help them with their fundraising goal, but they were still short. LiveDifferent heard about this little girl when a friend of her family contacted Santiago, our liaison in Mexico, and brought forward Kiryat’s situation. LiveDifferent jumped at the opportunity to help.
Upon entering Kiryat’s grandfather’s house, a calm fell over our group. We watched silently as the mother sat and cradled little Kiryat in her arms while the father sat next to her. Both parents seemed to still be in awe of their fragile little baby girl. The grandfather brought out chairs for us to sit and hear about Kiryat’s problem. He brought out X-Rays that showed a baseball-sized tumor in the middle of Kiryat’s torso and told us of the startling rate at which it was growing. He told us that when the mother was 8 months pregnant, an ultrasound showed the first signs of the tumor and although it was not cancerous, it would eventually be fatal. He also recounted the fevers, urinary problems and pain it was causing Kiryat. We hung on every word of our translator Santiago as he retold stories and described the emotional pain of the family. But where there was pain, there also was great love. The grandfather said he was going to sell his house and property to pay for the surgery if the fundraising goal was not achieved. The stories and facts behind Kiryat’s problem left all of us in a state of shock. But our feeling of unrest was quickly hushed by a simple glance into Kiryat’s eyes. We each got a chance to marvel at the wide eyed infant as she lay serene in our arms.
Finally, nearing the end of our visit, the time came to make the donation. I was given an envelope that I passed to the grandfather saying: “This is our donation, on behalf the organization that we’re all a part of. The sum is 10,000 pesos”. As Santiago translated, the grandfather’s face filled with joy. “You have saved this little girl” he exclaimed, tears filling his eyes. This donation would top off their goal and complete the 50,000 pesos needed for Kiryat’s operation. The surgery was said to take 12 hours and was scheduled for October 8th at 9:00am. Afterwards, she would recover at the hospital in Tijuana for 2 weeks.
LiveDifferent’s “Emergency Relief Fund” is used to help families in our community financially who have sustained hardships like that of Kiryat. It is a collection of donations from volunteers and leaders who support our cause. Without LiveDifferent’s “Emergency Relief Fund”, Kiryat’s operation would not have been possible so thank you to all of those who have donated to this over the years. You are really making a difference to those less fortunate than us.
Kevin – LiveDifferent Academy Student 2012