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Wednesday, May 19, 2004 - Yesterday I met a new patient at the Zarephath Health Center. His wife had read about us in the Spanish church bulletin. He is 50 years old and came to this country from Guatemala 11 years ago, driving a truck for a living. He has three grown children. All went to college, and he may have sacrificed his own life to put them through. He was born with a VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect), a hole between the two lower pumping chambers of his heart. He was told many years ago that he needed surgery, but he felt OK, and put it off. He wanted his kids to finish college.

When I examined him, he had a fever, was very short of breath, and had the loudest heart murmers I have ever heard. He was in congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

I sent him to the hospital that has agreed to work with us. He had an echocardiogram yesterday, and the cardiologist is doing a cardiac catheterization this afternoon. I told the doctor that our health center will collect money to pay his bill, but he shook his head, "No, I would be happy to help him for free." He will work to find a cardiac surgeon that will take the case.

It may be too late. He may already have too much pulmonary hypertension for surgery to help, in which case he will be dead in 5 years. But we will watch the church and the community rally to his aid. We will pay the hospital something-- hey, if we pay them more than 12 cents on the dollar, we will be doing better than Medicaid and "charity care."

When I told him, "Tenemos que ayudarle," he grabbed my hand and burst into tears. He clutched his Bible and thanked God for us.

If anyone wants to make a tax deductible gift, it will help us pay for his care in the hospital.

Zarephath Health Center - PO Box 9182, Zarephath, NJ 08890 If you cannot make a financial contribution at this time, just pray for his family and him. Alieta Eck, MD