Like a Flight With No Visa

I'm not sure why I didn't write about this earlier.  Maybe because it isn't my story.  Maybe because there was, at the time, a lot of uncertainty.  But I'm feeling a lot better about all of it now.

Armine.

She's not doing so good.  Ok she can walk and talk and she seems fine, but she's not doing so good.  When the drunk driver hit us and she flew onto his hood and then onto the ground, she hurt her neck.  The next day she kept complaining about neck soreness, and I, being the patient understanding person that I am, kept telling her it was just some type of whiplash and to quit whining....

The x-ray's of her neck looked funky, so she got an MRI.  Armine has a tumor the size of a ping pong ball in her neck at the 2nd vertabrae, right up against her spine.  The doctor's think it has been there for a few years, growing slowly.  The type of tumor, the shape, etc...make the doctors think that it is most likely benign.  But it needs to come out.  But it's right up against her spine, which means it doesn't just 'come out'.  It's not an emergency, it's been there for awhile, but getting hit by the car moved things around enough that it's hitting the nerves running through her spine and isn't very comfy.


I'm not really satisfied with the medical help I've been given in Georgia, and I have a sprained ankle.  When Armine gave birth 6 years ago she nearly died because the doctor left part of the placenta inside her.  Having this operation done in Georgia isn't even an option, it would be a paralysis or a death wish.  Going outside is too much money.  Her family gets by, but a flight and then spinal surgery?

There's a mormon missionary in Georgia, who is an older guy here on a mission with his wife.  This guy has a nephew in the US who just happens to be a world renowned neurosurgeon.  He travels the world giving lectures and instructing other surgeons on how to perform certain operations.  This older guy sent a picture of the MRI's to his nephew and his nephew confirmed everything the dr's in Georgia are saying, and added that this operation shouldn't be done in Georgia.  Of course.  The US, Japan, Europe, preferably Germany, are about the only places.  Then he said "I could probably get a group of surgeons here to do it gratis....and I could probably get a foundation to cover the hospital bills....".

Everything started feeling better when we heard that there was a possiblity to have the surgery done in a safe place.  The missionary in Georgia then offered up some frequent flier miles to get her to San Antonio and back.  All she needed was a visa.

The United States' policy is to assume that every foreigner (excluding the EU and a handful of other places) entering the US is doing so to immigrate.  So it is the responsibility of the applicant to prove otherwise.  Armine is a 23 year old single mother and works as a nanny.  She makes enough for what she needs, but it isn't like she has huge financial incentives to come back to Georgia.  Getting this visa was very stressful.  Her and I spent a week filling out forms, calling friends/employers, etc... asking for letters of reference and putting everything together.  She was a nervous wreck.  We had absolutely no Plan B if she were to be denied this visa.  Go to Russia maybe and look for a dr there....?  But the cost would have been too high anyway.

I wasn't allowed to go in to the interview with her.  It was on a Monday morning, first thing.  About 1 minute into the interview the US interviewer started reorganizing all the papers saying "I don't see any clear evidence that you'll come back...."  Armine was scared out of her mind, pulled out the MRI results and showed her the seriousness of what she has (I don't know anything about looking at MRI results, but I know that Armine's don't look right...) and then pulled out a letter from her boss, who happens to be the vice consul to the British Embassy.  And that did it.  That letter changed everything.  The interviewer said "ok, what does this guy look like?  Hmmm, ok, I'll be right back...."  She came back a couple of minutes later and was much warmer and processed the visa.  Armine gets to America on Nov. 7th.

This whole situation was strange.  I mean, she would have found this tumor eventually, it's growing in her neck.  But she found it at a time when there was a connection to a skilled surgeon in the States and this surgeon just happened to throw everything together, for free.  It's incredible to me how this all worked out.  I'm a religous person, and while I don't like to get all religousy on my blog, I see God's hand in this.  It's all been a very moving experience to see the generosity of these men and to see how everything was put  into place.

Armine is still nervous, the surgery is dangerous, but it will be done by someone who knows what he is doing and she will be very well taken care of.  And, she gets to spend her recovery time in Florida with her cousin, who is married to an American and has lived in the states for a few years.  Everything is working out.

So I got hit by a drunk driver.  My leg will be fine.  I'll easily replace the broken parts on my bike.  And Armine is getting the tumor taken out of her neck.....good luck Armine.