UPDATE: Funding received.
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Ladies from the pediatrician's office asked to help Maria with contributions and to meet somewhere outside the office for a get-together. Maria's birthday is in September, so they also brought her birthday gift, a teddy bear.
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A week and a half ago we put out a request for funding help for Maria. The intent was to begin raising the funds needed quickly so we could move forward with whatever treatment(s) would be needed. In just a week and a half here is what has transpired:
- We have been advised there will be charitable help for the medical expenses. We want to thank the vascular surgeon, Dr. Ulises Baltazar, and Methodist Hospital Sugar Land for all they have done to make this possible.
- We have received sufficient contributions, both cash and volunteer work, to cover outside expenses as we know them to be today. Outside of the medical expenses the travel and living expenses can add up quickly, and we are grateful to all who have given of their money and time to help Maria.
- We have begun the medical process. MRIs have been completed and the doctors are currently evaluating the results so they can develop a surgical and treatment plan. According to early reports the MRI results indicate conditions are "very complex", indicating there will not be a quick fix.
The doctors are moving forward and we are expecting more details of how they plan to proceed in a few days. When we know more we will publish another update.
In the meantime, we plan to continue the request for funding help. Our understanding at present is that this will not be a "one trip to America" event. The timeline for the entire process will likely result in Maria and Cecith going home at some point and then returning to Houston for follow-up work at later date(s).
Please continue to pray for and support this little girl. And for all who may not know us,The Cocama Project is a 100% volunteer organization. We do not have an office nor do we have a single employee drawing a salary. We work purely on an expenses basis, meaning we keep receipts and turn in expense reports to our treasurer for all monies spent. Our overhead is virtually zero. That means every dollar donated goes to helping the indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon Jungle.
While we can report that funds for known expenses have been received there are still many unknowns that we will face as this effort progresses. We still need your help. If contributing specifically to help Maria, please indicate that with your contribution. Two ways to contribute are:
1. Make checks out to The Cocama Project and mail to:
The Cocama Project
P.O. Box 1502
Richmond, TX 77406
2. Donate with credit or debit cards via our secure on-line link at:
www.cocamaproject.org/support
"What a happy girl this early in the morning. I could see her smiling all the way down the hall." These were the words of a receptionist at the MRI desk in the hospital. With all of the pain she endures this little girl continues to smile and touch people's hearts. Later that same day we sat in a Peruvian Restaurant as a treat for Maria and Cecith to have a familiar meal. When the waitress set our plates down before us Maria, without any prompting, quietly bowed her head and gave thanks. How awesome is it that God can take a little twelve-year-old jungle girl with a heart such as hers and use her to touch so many hearts and lives on two different continents! Please continue to pray for Maria.