Thursday, May 12, 2011

Terrible, Inexplicable News About Raul

I just learned that Raul has been denied a medical visa to come to the United States for treatment.  I don't understand this, and I don't know any more about it than that, so I can't begin to fathom why our own American Embassy would not allow a baby with a potentially-deadly (but non-contagious) disease to come to the United States for a treatment that is his last hope.

Raul has epidermolysis bullosa, an incurable condition that causes his skin to rupture and blisters to form.  The only treatment is to keep him wrapped up like a mummy, with some salves applied.  How can he live like that for the rest of his life?

My Global Volunteers colleague Caroline Ruhl had located a hospital, Colorado Children's Hospital, that is conducting a clinical trial on treatments for EB, and they had accepted Raul into the program.  It was his only hope.  Caroline had to jump a lot of hoops before even applying for the visa, including overcoming the resistance of the Romanian medical personnel and Raul's parents.  And now to have a visa denied by our Embassy?

I don't get it.  It's pretty much a death sentence for Raul.



1 comment:

  1. Pat, any chance of getting help from our local Congresscritters?

    ReplyDelete