Tesfaye's Story: A Journey of Hope

This is the story of Tesfaye Negussie Anagaw. Tesfaye,which means "my hope" in Amaharic,at the age of 8 was struck with TB causing his spine to collapse. In 2003, around 13 years old,Tesfaye left his village in Gojaam Ethiopia on a journey of hope to cure his back. Through getting to know Dr. Rick Hodes I learned of Tesfaye's story one night in Addis Ababa in March 2008,and after a long process Tesfaye arrived in Vancouver on May 20,2009 for surgery to straighten his spine on June 12th.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Catching up on the past two weeks - Part Two

Monday August 17th to Sunday August 23rd:

The week started Monday August 17th with the unexpected return of Justin with Nanci. As USC classes were not starting for a week and all the pre-school apartment set-up and move in was concluded on a timely basis, it was nice for all of us, including Tesfaye, to have Justin back until the 24th.

On Wednesday August 19th I took Tesfaye to the hospital for a brief checkup with Dr. Dvorak and Tiffany Akins of VGH communications had arranged with Global TV news to have Linda Aylesworth do a follow up to her June 10th news segment on Tesfaye to show how the surgery went. I asked Melaku to come along in case any Amharic translating may be called for. The filming of the footage seemed to go well; Dr. Dvorak really presents well and has a great ability to answer the medical questions in a clear and succinct manner, and the difference in Tesfaye's body after the surgery is very dramatic. I was confident that Linda would do her usual marvelous job of putting the story together, but we were not sure as to when it would air. It eventually aired on August 27th (see post from that day and the posted video clip in the top right corner of this blog).

The week was relatively quiet with Jerus getting used to work and also having an opportunity to get to know our family, including our pet cockatoo Mango and dog Ziggy, and for us to get to know her. It amazed me how quickly our pets adapted to Tesfaye when he first came and the same thing happened with Jerus. While for some of our family and friends it has taken years for Mango to get close to them, with Jerus it took a day. On Friday August 21st we had Ben and Nancy Goldbeg and Erez (the other Israeli Ethiopian law student that came with Jerus for a one month internship with a Vancouver law firm) over for Shabbat dinner. We all had a relaxing time before dinner with Tesfaye and Erez kicking a ball back and forth for a while,

and then had a nice dinner of barbequed salmon. Saturday Ben took Jerus and Erez for the day up to Whistler and back. I took the opportunity to fit in a joint workout with Justin at my trainer Terry's studio gym downtown, and Tesfaye came downtown with us and walked around on his own and then observed some of our workout and my penchant for whining during the torture. Saturday night the 22nd Nanci, Justin and I attended the wonderful 60th birthday party celebration at the Four Season's Hotel for my sister Sandra. Justin had a great time and was quite a hit at the party.

Sunday August 23rd I had plans to do something with Jerus and Erez, so I first went for brunch at Richmond Golf and Country

Club together with the two of them, Nanci, and Tesfaye, joining up as well with Nanci's sister Julie, her husband Sheldon, and two children Matthew and Jenna. After the lovely brunch I went down to the practice putting green with Jerus, Erez and Tesfaye and had fun helping them get the hang of putting (not that my putting prowess is anything to emulate). It was the first time for Jerus and Erez but actually the second time for Tesfaye, as I had Tesfaye try it after a brunch out there before his
surgery. Though putting is likely not a skill that Tesfaye will have much need for in the foreseeable future, it did serve to show how his newly straightened posture will favourably impact all aspects of his life.

After that I took Jerus, Erez and Tesafye with me to Steveston to wander around that fishing village. We really had a nice time strolling along the water's edge,discussing all kinds of topics looking at boats and people, watching a little Irish dancing display, and relaxing over a much needed drink after all the walking in the warm sunshine. Tesfaye feels very comfortable with Jerus and Erez and began filling them in on his life

story in Amharic language. On the way back I dropped Jerus and Erez back at Ben's house, and Tesfaye and I stopped in at my sister Tracey's penthouse condominium in South Granville for an informal gathering of family and friend's to see my nephew Rob Schonfeld and his wife Aimee

and two children. I had not yet seen my new great niece Alysha. It was a

beautiful day for a visit and another opportunity for some people to see Tesfaye again for the first time post surgery. Tesfaye also enjoyed the chance when my brother-in-law Mark took him upstairs to take in a different panoramic view of Vancouver from their penthouse rooftop balcony.

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Tesfaye's Life History

Tesfaye's path through life and mine have been very different, but fate has caused them to intersect. I met Tesfaye and learned of his plight while in Addis Ababa in March 2008 as a result of getting to know Dr. Rick Hodes and seeing first-hand the extraordinary humanitarian work he has been performing in Ethiopia since the mid 1980's.

Here is Tesfaye's story:

Tesfaye was born in the Gojjam region of Ethiopia to farmer parents.He grew up in a one-room, thatched roof, mud hut, which he shared with parents, four brothers and one sister. His mother and father farmed grains, mostly teff and barley. About nine years ago Tesfaye's father died, leaving his mother to farm and care for the five children herself.

Several years after his father's death Tesfaye decided to come to Addis Ababa with his oldest brother to seek medical care for his misshapen spine. His back problem began when he was eight years old, a result of untreated spinal tuberculosis. Growing up, his family took him to the local healer who blessed him with curative Holy Water, but the pain and deformity did not improve. By the time he was a teenager the pain was so acute that he decided to leave his village and travel to Addis Ababa in hope of treatment. Tesfaye traveled three days by bus with his brother, neither of whom spoke any Amharic, the national language and dominant language in the capital city. Tesfaye and his family are from the Agaw tribe, a small population in the north of the country that speaks their own language, known as Agaw.

They arrived at the bus station in the large market area, the Mercato, and went immediately to Black Lion Hospital, where the hospital staff told him they could not treat him, promptly sending him and his brother away. Talking to some street children Tesfaye and his brother heard that the Alert Leprosy Hospital may be able to help him. They went eagerly, but were turned away for a second time. The brothers rented a small room for 1 birr per day, about 0.10 USD and stayed in the capital hoping for a miracle.

One day a woman stopped them on the street and asked Tesfaye what was wrong with his back. He told her that he had no idea but that he was in a lot of pain and was trying to find treatment but no one was helping. She told him that the Mother Theresa Mission may be able to help him and described directions to the mission. Tesfaye went to the mission early the next morning and the nuns admitted him swiftly and without hesitation. For two months Tesfaye lived at the mission where he received tuberculosis treatment. After two months he was discharged from the mission but returned each day for the next six months to complete his eight-month TB treatment.

After leaving the mission Tesfaye shared a room with his brother who had begun work as a day laborer in order to stay in Addis with Tesfaye. To contribute to his brother's earnings Tesfaye began pushing around a wheel-barrow filled with various novelty items, such as BIC pens, Kleenex travel packs, sunglasses and chewing gum. He peddled-almost literally-his wares around the large market place earning between 5-10 birr per day, about 0.50-1.00 USD.

Several months later Tesfaye contracted scabies, likely a result of squalid living conditions, and went to the mission to ask the nuns for treatment. He was given the proper medication and was on his way out of the compound when another nun stopped him and asked him if he knew a Dr. Rick. Tesfaye replied that he did not know any doctors, especially not a faranje-or white-one. The sister told him to return the following Saturday to meet Dr. Rick, who, she explained, helped Ethiopians with bad spines. Tesfaye came early Saturday morning and waited patiently for his turn to meet with Dr. Rick, during his usual Saturday morning clinic. Dr. Rick not only accepted Tesfaye as a spine patient but later invited him to live in his home and send him to school.

In late 2006, Tesfaye traveled to Ghana with a group of eight other spine patients to be examined by renowned Ghanian surgeon Dr. Oheneba Boachie. Dr.

Boachie felt that Tesfaye was operable, and asked him to return in 6 months. On return, he was not operated due to lack of a ventilator. On a third trip, the Ghanian anesthesiologists would not anesthetize Tesfaye, and surgery was not performed. Dr. Boachie's FOCOS staff was highly impressed with Tesfaye's attitude, and the help he constantly gave to the other Ethiopian spine patients. Disheartened, he gave up and resigned himself to the fate of living his life with a back shaped like a Brontosaurus or Quasimodo.

In the world of Rick's house, Tesfaye is everyone's favorite person, if he were to run for office, it most certainly be a landslide victory. Tesfaye is kind, patient and helpful. He is always doing his homework or helping the younger children with theirs. In anticipation of his trip to Canada Tesfaye has been diligently attending English class four days a week to supplement his 5th grade curriculum. I asked Tesfaye what he is most excited and nervous about for his trip. He answered that he is most nervous about people making fun of his back and that he is most excited about being with people who show him love.

Last fall I took a social history of each of the children living in Rick's house, Tesfaye politely told me, "I do not want to talk about my history until I know what the ending will be, I still hope thanks to God, and Dr. Rick, that my back may be healed." Now, we pray, that time has come, and so, Tesfaye has shared his story with me. We all look forward to discovering the end of the story. I know he will live happily ever after.

by Chloe Malle

Note: Over the period 2008/2009 Chloe spent a year living in Ethiopia helping Dr. Rick Hodes carry out his work. Chloe was recently featured in the January 2010 issue of Vanity Fair:Chloe Malle, Bright Young Thing Entertainment & Culture: vanityfair.com

Donations in support of Dr. Rick Hode's humanitarian work in Ethiopia

Donations to support Dr. Rick Hodes’ humanitarian work in Ethiopia (which are eligible for a Canadian donation tax receipt) can be directed to:

Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver
200-950 West 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Z 2N7
Tel.604-257-5100

Instructions should be provided with payment to direct the donation to support the JDC/Dr.Rick Hodes humanitarian relief efforts in Ethiopia. 100% of the funds so directed go to Ethiopia to support those efforts.

JDC (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) is an international relief agency which provides non-sectarian relief to Jews and non-Jews in more than 60 countries around the world, and which has been active in Ethiopia for several decades. http://www.jdc.org

Tesfaye's Story: A Journey of Hope

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Catching up on the past two weeks - Part Two

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Tesfaye in Vancouver pre-surgery

Tesfaye,Gary and Stephi on Granville Island

PRE-SURGERY DAYS IN VANCOUVER

Tesfaye with Haley eating Japanese sushi and using chopsticks for first time