Save One Life

Every Child Saved

Laurie Kelley May 19, 2008


I just read this amazing account while catching up on my current events. I was so moved by this one woman, I’d like to share what was written about her with my readers:

From the Chicago Tribune:

She was an only child whose parents raised her to care about those in need, no matter what the personal cost. “I was taught that if you see a person drowning, you must jump into the water to save them, whether you can swim or not.” That’s what Irena Sendler said, who died this past week at age 98. A most courageous and remarkable woman, she was a nurse and social worker during the time of the Nazi occupation, in Warsaw, Poland.

In 1940, after the Nazis herded Jews into the ghetto and built a wall separating it from the rest of Warsaw, disease, especially typhoid, ran rampant. Social workers were not allowed inside the ghetto, but imagining “the horror of life behind the walls,” Sendler obtained fake identification and passed herself off as a sanitary worker, allowed to bring in food, clothes, and medicine.

Then, as persecution of the Jews heightened, this diminutive, not-quite-5-foot-tall woman, began smuggling Jewish children out of the ghetto saving them from certain death. Along with her friends in the resistance they smuggled children out in trashcans, boxes, suitcases, sacks, tool chests, ambulances and coffins. Even though she managed to place them in safe homes with new “safe” names, instead of forgetting their names she kept a record of their true names so that after the war, if at all possible, they could be reunited with their own families. Sadly, many of course, never were since their families perished in the crematoriums.

In 1943 Irene was captured by the Nazis and brutally tortured. In one session alone her captors broke her feet and legs. Even still, her spirit and determination to guard others did not break and she never betrayed a single soul– either the names of those in the resistance with her, or the names of those whom they had rescued. Eventually an SS guard, greedy for money, took a bribe from her resistance friends and she escaped. Of her time in jail, undergoing deprivation and torture, she said she endured it by focusing on a little card she secretly kept with her. A card revealing her motivation and source of power. A card with these words: “Jesus I trust in Thee.” A card she kept till 1979 when she gave it to Pope John Paul II.

All in all, a total of 3000 Polish Jews, including 2500 children, were saved through her determined efforts. Just last year she was finally honored by the Polish Senate and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, which brought dozens of reporters to her door. She told one of them she was weary of the attention, adding, “Every child saved with my help is the justification of my existence on this earth, and not a title to glory.”

And while this blog entry has nothing to do directly with hemophilia, we should know we do not have to be Nobel Peace Prize nominees, or even have to have saved thousands to make a difference in this life. Just ask yourself: what am I doing to help one child in need? I asked that in 1994, during the Rwanda crisis, and today chair a nonprofit I created called Save One Life, to help children with hemophilia in developing countries. If you want to help one child with hemophilia get out of poverty, please visit our website at www.SaveOneLife.net.

Great Book I am Reading: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Coincidentally, I am reading a wonderful book about Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch woman during the Nazi occupation who helps Jewish refugees hide and then escape, by turning her home into a hiding place. Corrie, her sister Betsy and their father are eventually caught and sent to a prison, then a concentration camp. Her father dies soon after, and her sister dies only two weeks before she is released. Her suffering is immense, but her faith in God greater. The book is a testament to her faith, which permeates everything that happens to her. With her profound faith, many prisoners and even jaded guards are converted to Christianity. After reading this, you may never want to complain about anything again! I also rented the movie The Hiding Place, which faithfully follows the book. The juxtaposition of the warm home life and the stark brutality of the prison and concentration camp are jarring and shocking. Corrie survived and for the rest of her life, well into her eighties, traveled the earth to tell her story and speak her faith. Four out of four stars.

Mission: Dominican Republic

Laurie Kelley April 9, 2008


The last day of our trip to the Dominican Republic was reserved to visit the homes of four families with hemophilia. We started out bright and early, the tropical heat slowly rising with the sun, and headed for Bonao, a pretty town located on the roaring Yuca River. It took about an hour to get there, to meet with the Carlos Manuel and Jose Luis Ortiz. With me were Jeannine, executive director of Save One Life (a child sponsorship program), Haydee de Garcia, president of FAHEM, Maria Espinal, nurse at the Robert Reid Cabral Hospital, and Zoraida, general manager of LA Kelley Communications. Zoraida sponsors Jose Luis, a young man with hemophilia, and our visit would check on how he and his brother were.

Meeting with them was pure joy. The Ortiz brothers are natural poets, and every word and sentence is chosen to express kindness, civility and warmth. No matter that they have hemophilia, that their family struggles economically, that they both have severe joint damage that leaves them with unbending knees and hobbling gaits. When you are with them, you are the most important thing in the world. They exude a kind of hospitality very rarely found. Marisa, their mother, had not seen me in about four years and we pounced on each other with hugs. She laid out a fantastic meal. We then walked down to the river, to see the beauty of Bonao. It was a lovely visit. We were sorry to leave.

An hour later we were searching for the home of the Gimenz family. They live on the fringe of Santo Domingo in a place I am sure very few if any Americans have seen. Dirt roads, towering palms, rows of tin roofs with chickens scuttling everywhere, this village or settlement is remote, not easily accessible and devastating for two children with hemophilia. Angel is only six and almost died in December from a head bleed. Thankfully, his mother, also named Zoraida, was educated by FAHEM about symptoms and knew what to do. Angel was hit in the head and began exhibiting symptoms of a head bleed; he was brought to the hospital that night. A miracle considering Zoraida does not own a car nor have much money, and transportation is questionable and unreliable. Angel’s older brother Andres watched and listened as we heard this story, occasionally smiling and dropping his head shyly when we looked at him. He had just attended camp with us. An extremely handsome young man of 15, he has a killer smile and a friendly manner. He gave me a brief tour of their tidy wooden home, only three rooms, shared with four dogs, cats and a hen and rooster in the back. Both boys need sponsors, so if you are interested in helping this family, please go to www.SaveOneLife.net and let us know!

Next stop, the Vasquez family, who live closer to the capital and down a small tienda or shop selling candy and things. The shop is really just a window from which they display what little they have to offer. Gabriel is the young boy also looking for sponsorship. Last stop was the home of Misael and Jayro Medina. Misael attended camp as a counselor and did a great job. His brother Jayro, deeply religious, has not walked in years. So many bleeds left him bedridden, during which time his muscles atrophied. But he does not whine or complain but shows again that warm hospitality. Though these are men, we will still look for sponsors to help ease their burden in life. Their father only earns about $25 a month, and life is expensive in the city.

See all the trip photos here.

Seeing the conditions of the poor, the crippled joints of hemophilia, might leave a person feeling overwhelmed, stunned, depressed. But not us. We feel honored to have met these families, impressed at how confidently they face life’s harsh challenges, and motivated to help them financially through our program. We saw the kids at camp who are already benefiting from having a sponsor–they use their sponsorship funds to travel to the hospital, to buy medicine, to stay in school. The Ortiz brother attend college and will one day get jobs in the tourist industry, where they can charm visitors to their land, thanks to the support from Save One Life, for funds, and Project SHARE, for factor. They are one success story among many; and you can help us have more. Adios for now!

Hola! From Camp in the DR

Laurie Kelley April 5, 2008


Tropical, warm, friendly… these words always come to mind when I am in the Dominican Republic, a country that I have been fortunate to have worked with for 10 years now. Today was our first day of camp, the 9th annual “Yo Si Puedo” (Yes, I Can!) bringing together 42 boys with hemophilia for three days of fun, socialization, education and medical treatment. 

We arrived last night and were met by Mecho Benoit, good friend and executive member of the Fundación Apoyo al Hemofílico (FAHEM), the national hemophilia organization. We drove to her sister Haydee de Garcia’s home. Haydee is the president of FAHEM. Any baseball fans reading this? Her husband is Damaso Garcia, former second baseman of the Toronto Bluejays. They have a wonderful son with hemophilia, now 23.

We brought with us lots of factor, toys and supplies for the 42 campers. After a wonderful meal (food is delicious and fresh in the DR) we repacked a bit and retired, worried a little about the weather as it might rain.

We had overcast skies today but no rain. We met up with the boys and their moms at the Robert Reid Cabral Hospital in the capital, Santo Domingo. After some joyful reunions, we toured the new hemophilia wing of the hospital. Most impressive! Funded by the Bill Clinton Foundation, it was amazing to think that just 10 years ago, there was barely any care at all for patients with hemophilia: no factor, little training, certainly no place to call their own. But one thing the DR did have was dedicated people, like Haydee and Mecho, and also doctors Joanne Travers and Rosa Nieves.

Camp was just 20 minutes away at a lush and beautiful location in San Cristobal. Today’s agenda was settling in, some athletic and team building games on the basketball court by Raphael, a volunteer phys. ed teacher, arts and crafts, lunch and a lecture by a dentist, which was actually informative and a lot of fun.

We also took the opportunity to interview some of the campers to update their profiles for Save One Life. I won’t lie to you: not everything is happy and rosy in the DR. Too many children, far too many, are crippled, especially the teens, but even some of the younger ones. There are many reasons for that, which I’ll try to share tomorrow (if I can blog).

This is a special camp for us. Save One Life raised enough funds last year to provide 50% of camp funding. We have provided almost all the factor. But most of all, I witness that all those boy I met when they were eight years old, are now young men, returning as counselors, ready to help the next generation. I know I am getting old when I gasp at their height, their maturity, their potential now being realized. Where did those little boys go? Now we marvel at the younger boys, just learning about leaving home, socializing with other with hemophilia and experiencing camp for the first time. Whatever the language or culture, one thing for certain about hemophilia, camp is a winning program for all.

Save One Life Celebration

Laurie Kelley November 19, 2007


Friday night was the first Save One Life celebration in our seven years of operating. Save One Life is a nonprofit organization I founded in 2000 after visiting families with hemophilia in developing countries, and seeing their desperate needs. The program provides direct sponsorships for people with hemophilia who live in poverty. We celebrated a turning point: we finally have operational funds that will allow us to expand our work, and we’re sponsoring over 240 children in eight countries.

The event was a social evening, held in Ipswich, Massachusetts, at New England BioLabs’ spacious auditorium and entryway. Joining us Friday night were sponsors, donors, volunteers and guests who are interested in learning more about hemophilia and the developing world. After a social hour with cocktails, attendees were seated in the auditorium, where I presented a 30 minute multimedia presentation on my travels to Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central America. The slides were graphic and moved many to gasps. I think we made our point; that children with hemophilia were in need of help now, help that we could provide. Following the slide show we distributed pledge cards, and amazingly, we raised $9,000 in minutes! One-third of the money will be used to fund hemophilia camp in the Dominican Republic; the rest will go to sponsor children currently waiting for sponsorship, and the rest will go to operations.

Our special guest speaker was Fendi Valdez Bisono, a young man with hemophilia from the Dominican Republic and our liaison there. He spoke through an interpreter. I’ve known Fendi for 9 years, and watched him flourish as he’s received factor, education and training. He hopes to make a difference in the lives of the children he knows, and to be a mentor to them. He told our audience of what it was like to grow up without factor, and how it has left him with arthritic joints and hepatitis C. But nothing slows him down. He managed to get a college degree, married and is self-supporting. He donates a great amount of time to FAHEM, the national DR hemophilia organization. He owes everything to “God, family and FAHEM,” in that order. His words were stirring.

The rest of the evening included awards to special donors, sponsors and volunteers, and then coffee and pastries. The pledges made attendees eligible for prizes, including free round trip airplane tickets, three nights at a resort in the DR, and two nights at a local posh historical hotel. Thanks to everyone who made this evening a resounding success, a memorable event and a stepping stone to better health care for hemophilic patients in great need of financial aid.

See all the photos here!

To learn more about Save One Life, visit www.SaveOneLife.net

(Photos: Laurie Kelley and graphic designer Tracy Brody, who created the Vision and Mission Poster; Fendi Valdez Bisono with board member Mark Zatyrka and fiancee Sasha Fles)

Count Your Blessings… and Share Them

Laurie Kelley February 19, 2007

When you think you are going through tough times with hemophilia, I want you to think of some children I know. Born into poverty, suffering from hemophilia, these children usually have no access to factor, and endure horrific suffering. Some of these children are like Gorla. Gorla is ten-year-old boy from India with severe factor VIII deficiency. He is in the third grade and does miss school due to his disorder. He does not speak English. He has a 13-year-old brother, Yagna, who is also factor VIII deficient. His parents are agriculture laborers, who raise milk buffalos. The family income is only $2 a day.

Imagine trying to live on $2 a day. You can’t just pick up the phone and order factor when you are bleeding. You often cannot even go to the hospital for treatment; there is none. You simply endure it and suffer. Sometimes, you die.

We don’t want that to happen to Gorla. If you want, you can change his life. Save One Life is a nonprofit that provides individual sponsorships for boys like Gorla. In fact, Gorla himself is available to be sponsored!

I founded Save One Life six years ago. I sponsor 5 children with hemophilia personally, and see first-hand the difference it makes in their lives. We currently have almost 200 children in eight countries sponsored, but we have a long way to go. Would you like to help? Consider sponsoring a child in need, like Gorla. Just $20 a month could change his life, and enrich yours. Go to www.saveonelifeinc.org today, and share your blessings.

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