HELP NARGIS WALK WITHOUT PAIN
Nargis of Afghanistan was born with congenital Developmental Dysplasia of the hips which made it very hard and painful for her to walk. Her balance was greatly impaired, and this caused her to frequently fall causing more pain and injury. The Irene M. Rossi Fund is raising money to assist refugee and immigrant children receive needed medical treatment.
Our CAUSE
While our goal is to help many children in developing countries obtain the medical treatments that they need, right now we are raising money to help Nargis and her parents travel to Pakistan where a pediatric surgeon will be able to perform the three surgeries necessary to allow Nargis to walk and run with other children without pain.
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OUR MISSION
Our mission is to support children who live in developing countries who have significant medical needs that cannot be met due to financial hardship or lack of access to medical services.
Nargis' Story
In 2017, Welcome the Stranger Refugee resettlement program, chaired by Anna Rossi, assisted a family from Afghanistan resettle in the Sacramento area. Three years later, that family contacted Welcome the Stranger again to seek help in finding a way to obtain medical treatment for their 7-year-old niece, Nargis, who was still living in Afghanistan. After hearing this little girl’s story of pain and agony because of being born with hip dysplasia in both hips, and learning that there was no medical assistance available in Afghanistan for this type of condition, Welcome the Stranger decided that it wanted to help Nargis and her Dad travel to the United States for medical treatment. While this seemed like it should be a simple task, it turned out to be an insurmountable endeavor. Welcome the Stranger was able to find a doctor in Riverside who was willing to perform the surgery pro bono if Welcome the Stranger could arrange for Nargis and her father to travel to the U.S. on a medical Visa. And there is the rub – because the atmosphere in Afghanistan was so tense with the threat of the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, the U.S. would not provide a medical Visa to this little girl and her father. For four years, Welcome the Stranger wrote letters to both Democratic and Republican officials asking for assistance in obtaining this crucial Visas, but no one could make it happen. In the meantime, Nargis grew older, and her physical aliment worsened. While Nargis was never able to run and play with other children because of her physical condition, now the pain was increasing even when she was just lying down. Then one day, about 5 months ago, a Pastor at a Presbyterian Church in Alameda, Ca, introduced Welcome the Stranger to a pediatric surgeon in Pakistan, and our dreams came through. If we could get Nargis and her family to Pakistan, this doctor would perform the three surgeries that Nargis now needed for free and would oversee the six months of physical therapy that would be needed. All we needed to do was obtain Visas for Nargis’ Mom, Dad, and youngest sister; provide financial support for the family while they spend six months in Pakistan and help support the grandmother and Nargis’ other two sisters who would remain in Afghanistan. If we could do all of that, Nargis would be able to walk and run with the other children without pain. Now we ask you to help make this dream a full reality for us and for Nargis and her family.
Latest Update
In late October, Nargis and her family successfully made the journey from Afghanistan to Pakistan where she met with her surgeon for the first time to develop a surgery plan. In the first week of November, Nargis successfully underwent the first of her three surgeries.
In December, Nargis had her second surgery and now, for the first time in her life, she is able to walk with the help of a walker and is very excited and proud of herself. Have a look at the Media page for video of a proud and smiling Nargis practicing walking.
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