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#1
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03-18-2011, 04:30 PM
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Samoan Deformed Baby
The baby, named Tina Julie Nanai, wasn't expected to live more than a few hours. Her feet and spinal cord were deformed. Part of her brain was missing. She had a double cleft palate, appeared to have no eyeballs and she was missing fingers. Doctors told the baby's parents, Mikaele and Sefulu Nanai that, because of Tina's misshapen mouth, she could not eat and would die in a few hours.That didn't happen. Three days went by and Mikaele and Sefulu Nanai continued to visit their daughter. When baby Tina continued to live and her parents could see she was hungry, her father went to the store and bought a can of milk, sneaking it into the hospital beneath his shirt. Her parents began feeding her with a plastic syringe when the nurses weren't watching. Instead of dying as predicted, the child began to thrive. Word spread of the baby's survival and the local media dubbed her Baby Miracle. Since Samoa lacked the medical facilities needed to correct Baby Miracle's disabilities, the country appealed to nearby New Zealand for help. The New Zealand government ultimately denied the baby's family an entry visa in December, however, saying there was no treatment that would benefit the baby's quality of life. Kristin Taylor, the co-founder of THORN Ministries had been working with the family and authorities to get Miracle the treatment she needs. THORN has helped raise funds and open doors to bring Miracle to the US for surgery. When Kristin learned that New Zealand had denied the family's visa, she wasted no time. She contacted the U.S. Embassy in Apia. The embassy approved visas and passports allowing the family to travel to Florida for up to six months only after John Ragheb, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Miami Children's Hospital, and S. Anthony Wolfe, chief of the Division of Plastic Surgery at the hospital, agreed to provide medical services for the baby free of charge through the Child Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization of physicians and volunteers dedicated to helping uninsured children born with physical deformities and birth defects. |
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#7
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03-19-2011, 08:32 AM
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Re: Samoan Deformed Baby
Poor thing, I hope the surgery helps her and gives her a better life. Bless those doctors who really stepped up to help - they are doing such a wonderful thing by giving hope to families that would otherwise have none. There should be more people like this in the world! |
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#9
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03-20-2011, 08:03 AM
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Re: Samoan Deformed Baby
I bet New Zealanders' government are kicking themselves for the heartless bastards they, apparently, are. But, then again, we are talking government here. They're ALL heartless bastards, no matter what country they come from. |