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Le Mars man's persistence
pays off
LE MARS - Francisco Torres' medical condition was Equipped with that knowledge, a guidance counselor at Gehlen High School in Le Mars, felt he had to try to help the boy. Dick Seivert became aware of Francisco about 15 months ago when a Gehlen student took part in a medical mission to the South American country. The guidance counselor had helped the student line up the trip through International Health Services. "Francisco often had to squat in order to get enough air," said Seivert, who has since arranged another three trips to Honduras for both students and adults. He has heard of Francisco second hand because he has never made the trip. After knowing of Francisco for an entire year, it dawned on him to have a doctor check him during the January 2002 trip as there was a heart specialist among the medical team. Seivert had also suggested that they might make arrangements for the boy to be treated in the United States. "He suffered from tetralogy of Follet, which is a congenital heart defect where there are holes between the ventricle and atrium," explained Seivert. "Because of the holes, bad blood and good blood mix - so none of the tissues including the lungs get the oxygen from the good blood. People with this usually do not live beyond the age of 20." This condition made for poor blood circulation, hence the squatting. One week after the January trip, Seivert received a call from a doctor at the Mayo Clinic. A heart surgeon had agreed to do the surgery if they could get Francisco there. The guidance counselor wondered about the additional expenses such as room and medications. His questions and perseverance paid off. The Mayo doctor contacted a nurse, Paul Tschann, who had made several trips to Honduras. He petitioned and secured a full charity waiver from the Mayo board of governors. Surgery was lined up for March 27. Unfortunately, the paperwork to leave the country posed another obstacle. On March 8, Francisco and an aunt went to the U.S. Embassy for visas. The aunt had been turned down a visa just months earlier and so they threw out both of their applications. INS requires a one-year wait after visas have been denied. "She had lied and it almost cost Francisco his trip up here," Seivert said. On March 11, when he discovered that Francisco had been turned town he called the sisters living in Honduras. They contacted the embassy and Seivert had two Iowa senators and a congressman send requests for a new appointment. "We had set his ticket for flying out of Honduras on March 21. He was lucky enough to get a second appointment for March 20. He was fortunate enough to get his visa," explained the Le Mars man. "I have no idea what or who influenced the embassy officials. To me, it's a miracle." Francisco was accompanied by a friend of the Honduran sisters, Tacha. There was another glitch when they left on March 21. The Honduran airport accidentally kept their papers and they were almost arrested in Houston. The six-hour surgery, which involved sewing a patch between the ventricles, on March 27 was a success. For the first time, the boy didn't have to struggle to breathe. Ultimately, it was Seivert's perseverance and good connections that brought the gift of good health to Francisco. He referred to the Mayo nurse as the "real ball carrier." On April 11, Francisco and Tacha visited Le Mars. Many of the students and adults who had made trips to Honduras knew Tacha as she cooked for them. While in Le Mars, he visited the school and went to Mass at both St. Joseph and St. James. The students and many parishioners donated money to purchase medicine for the Honduran trips, so most felt a special connection to Francisco. They could see the good their money did. A friend of Seivert's, Mike Plueger, flew them back to Rochester in a four-seat plane. Francisco and Tacha left for Honduras on April 23. "At this point, everything looks so good for him that I don't think he will even be on medication," noted Seivert. "He will live a healthy life." The guidance counselor acknowledged that it feels good to play a role in this happy ending. He said it proves that ordinary people can accomplish some extraordinary things. "I think this whole program (arranging service trips to Honduras), has changed me dramatically in a year," he said. "This program has put 46 people in Honduras in a little over a calendar year." He recently changed the name of the program from Gehlen Catholic Mission Honduras to Gehlen Catholic Mission Honduras Changing Lives. Seivert recalled a saying of the Sisters of Charity, "The fire of charity burns on." To him, that statement is profound. "I'm not sure that Honduras needs us, but as Catholics and Christians, we need Honduras or the Honduras' of the world," he said. "People have a need to reach out and do." He is currently arranging another adult trip for January. For many in the Le Mars area, the ability to offer service to others is one of God's gifts. |
