I am forwarding a message I received via email.
If there is anyone in South America who could possibly assist this family,
please contact the original sender directly. His email address is on the
bottom of the attached message.
Thank you.
Steve Fletcher, CPO
Shands Hospital at the University of Florida
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Date: Mon, 06 Jul 1998 12:58:24 -0400
From:
Subject: Please read
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, PLEASE HELP ME.
My name is Hector O. Arenas. I was born in Argentina but presently I reside in
Toronto-Canada. I came to Canada in 1989 when I was 20 years old to find some
better opportunities and a better future for my family and myself. Things
haven’t been too easy. I still haven’t been able to sponsor my family. But I
am here not to talk about myself but my younger brother:
His name is Carlos
Javier Arenas. He is 22 years old and lives in San Luis, Argentina. In
November 1997 he was involved in a motorcycle accident that nearly took his
life and that of his girlfriend Fernanda. He was in the hospital for several
months and as a consequence of this accident he got his leg amputated just
below the knee. Later in another hospital a doctor told him that they could
have saved his leg if he got proper care. He was devastated. Before the
accident he was a very active young man. He was working for a place he loved
with passion, sometimes working up to 14 hours a day. He was just a couple of
months away from being hired permanently. He was also very atlhetic, loved
sports especially basketball and soccer. He was also doing some volunteer work
to help the needy and was planning to return to schooll this year. He was also
planning to marry his long time girlfriend and they were working hard and
saving some money for that.
Now things are a bit different. Due to the accident, he was released from his
job and because he was working under contract he did not get any benefits
(medical coverage). The person that caused the accident, who was under the
influence of alcohol, did not have insurance, did not own the vehicle, did not
have a job or anything under his name. My parents are not working- my mother
has been ill and my Dad had to closed down his bussiness last year- and don’t
have any medical insurance. They have spent every saving they had and had to
borrow money to help with the medical expenses. I was helping them by sending
money from here, but June 12 1998, I was laid of from my workplace.
Last Saturday-July 05- I called my brother who had just been realesed from the
hospital. He was so depressed and down, that it seemed to me that I was
talking to somebody else since my brother has always been the strongest and
happiest of the whole family. He started to cry and told me that they can’t
stop the infection and that they might have to amputate the rest of his leg,
above the knee. He was begging me to find out if I could find a hospital in
Northamerica who could offer him better treatment and proper care. He believes
that doctor’s in Argentina are being carless about his situation. They told
him that no medicine could stop the infection. They prescribed some
antibiotics that cost U$165 per day. My father was making around U$25 per day.
At this point we have no more savings and we have sold everything we owned to
help him. On top of that I was the only one employed but now I lost my job.
How are we going to buy his medicines he so urgently need? How are we going to
finance his rehabilitation and his prosthetists?
He is so deppresed, that he even mention about his life being worthless, and
he thinks he is now a burden for all of us. He hasn’t got any psicological
help or councelling after the accident. We can’t afford it.
That’s the reason why I am writing to you. I don’t know what to do. I know
there are people and organizations out there who would help my younger
brother. I just don’t know who to go to. PLEASE HELP ME HELP MY BROTHER.
Truly and Sincerely yours
Hector O. Arenas
279 Jarvis St. #605
Toronto – Ontario
Canada
M5B 2P2
tel.(416)961-6627
fax(416)961-6762
My E-Mail is : [email protected]
