Help For Imara

Thank you for all of the support for this little darling - we know she needs it right now.

An update on her condition:

- The burn on her leg in the pictures from yesterday is before she had surgery.  The yellow stuff is actually produced by the wound, not a cream.  The wound was infected and got worse to the point that she was going into shock in the middle of the night Thursday night/Friday morning at which time she was taken to a local small and poorly funded hospital.  The physician there decided to cut out the infection of the 2nd/3rd degree burn and sent her home.  The wound is now deeper and still infected over a wider area and now definitely needing a graft.

- Imara was taken to a much better hospital today and given an antibiotic and the wound on her leg was cleaned, but also sent back home.  The level of her injuries exceeds that of the resources and care available to her there in DRC.

- In addition to the severe burn wound on her leg, she also has burns on and in her mouth with a high likelihood of esophageal burns due to the candle and possible poison she was fed.  The esophageal burns are nearly impossible to treat in DRC due to the highly specialized equipment and staff required.  Depending on the severity of the burns, if not properly treated, she could lose her ability to swallow and eat which would most likely kill her.

- Her belly is distended more than you would typically see from malnutrition and parasitic infection which may be caused from internal bruising or other serious condition.

- She has double black eyes which means there is a possibility of a skull fracture which needs immediate attention and possible intervention to prevent brain damage, loss of sight or hearing, or other neurological loss.

The extent of Imara's condition is not fully known, but we do know that she is not able to receive the specialized and advanced care in DRC that she needs to survive this horrific situation that she did absolutely nothing to deserve.  In order to travel to the U.S. to get the care she needs, she will need a medical visa or humanitarian parole authorization.  This is not an easy feat.

In order to make this happen, Imara needs is a way to have her medical care covered so she will be eligible for either the medical visa or humanitarian parole.  Her care is estimated to cost $100,000.  Two things are needed to have her medical care covered:

1) A hospital that will agree to accept Imara for care and will provide free or low cost care.  We have a call into Bedouin Shrine in Muskogee, OK, but in case they cannot accept her and help cover the cost, we need to see about other options.  If you have a hospital that will consider her and offer charity or greatly discounted care, please let us know.  We have to move fast, so if you have a lead and can contact the hospital to see if they will seriously consider it, please do, and then send us the information after the hospital has initially stated they will evaluate her case.

2) We have to show that we have cash to cover her expenses.  We have one organization that can commit $10,000 of the potential $100,000 and the cost of transportation to and from the U.S.  We need other organizations that would join and commit to help cover the cost of Imara's care if she was granted a visa to come to the U.S. for urgent medical care.  We would need a letter on the organization's letterhead (hopefully by Monday evening) that says the organization will cover a particular dollar amount of Imara's medical care if she is granted a visa to come to the U.S.. The funding will be run through All Blessings International, Inc. which is a 501(c)3 and will be tax deductible.

Jenny Lotz has volunteered for ABI to help coordinate finding a way to get medical care covered.  Please send leads with hospitals to provide care and letters of support to her at lotzfam@att.net.

If you know someone that may be able to help Imara, please share her story with them.  She can use all the help she can get at this point.  Thank you!!!

Please continue to pray for Imara and that she will be able to get access to the care she needs to save her life.