Samuel's Needs

Hi, my name is Dick Nanna. I am a retired ER doctor and have made many trips to Haiti. My friend Gelin Rosamour, a Pastor with the Haitian Methodist Church, is a righteous and faithful man. With his expert management and my church's generosity we have been able to open and sustain a weekly medical clinic on the island of La Gonave.

His son, Samuel, is 6 years old is pictured above. His bright face belies his severe anemia and diminished stature caused by Sickle Cell Disease. Currently, he has a hematocrit of 19 (normal would be over 38). This leaves him with little stamina, his growth inhibited, and periodic severe muscular pain. Samuel has never seen a hematologist because there is not a single one on the island of Haiti! His primary care doctor in Haiti has prescribed the correct medicine but it is unavailable in Haiti.

If he was your son, he would be followed throughout the year by a Pediatric Hematologist and be on a daily medicine regimen to minimize the symptoms. He would be seen at a regional Children's Hospital and possibly be part of a study toward a cure. Alas, he is Haitian and a tangible victim of a failed state.

Funds donated will be used for transportation from Haiti to Miami, lodging for him and a parent, payment of the doctor, charges from the Nicklaus Childrens Medical Center and for

blood tests, infusions, and medications.