Medical Needs for Wangchuk
(See Updates Below - November, 2018, March, 2019 & March 2020)
We are in need of financial support to cover the medical & surgical costs for a young monk at Menri Monastery Dialectic School who is working towards his Geshe Degree (similar to a PhD.). Your donations will cover doctor appointments, hospitalization, surgical expenses and physical therapy.
As a Nurse Practitioner, Cheri Brady will oversee this project with her medical expertise. She is scheduling patient appointments to interview orthopedic & neurological surgeons and hospitals to get the very best medical care team established at a quality hospital and in the most cost-effective manner. The pre-surgical patient appointments and testing are costly and the estimated surgical costs are still being established.
Cheri will be coordinating and monitoring this project very closely and will keep everyone up-to-date. We need finances on hand to be able to make medical commitments for this young monk. You will be able to witness a direct result from your desire to make an positive impact on this young man's life. What beautiful karma!
Please give generously to help improve the quality of life for this amazing young dedicated monk. You hold the key to his corrective surgery which will lead to a healthier and brighter future!
Update: Surgery Needed! Please Help Raise $20,000!!
Thank you to all who donated to the medical needs of 15 year old, Wangchuk, in India @ Menri Monastery. As a result of your generous donations, we were able to consult with many doctors about his condition and have extensive testing done. It was revealed that Wangchuk's poor posture and physical limitations were not all caused by his feet deformities. Wangchuk was diagnosed with severe kyphosis. This is an exaggerated forward rounding of the back (hunchback). Without surgery, the condition will progressively get worse and can cause breathing problems due to pressure on the lungs and heart, limited physical functions, digestive problems, pain and decreased neuro-function due to the extreme stretching of the spinal cord nerves.
Wangchuk was found to be a good candidate for spinal surgery. The delicate and extensive surgery would require placing a rod in his back to straighten his spinal cord and relieve the pressure on the nerves and organs, as well as, prevent further progression of the kyphosis. This surgery would increase the quality and length of Wangchuk's life.
Dr. Ashis Pathak, director of neuro-surgery at Fortis Hospital in Chandigarh, India, has personally agreed to perform the surgery. He and Wangchuk seemed to develop a special bond. Dr.Pathak is a well-renowned neuro-surgeon and was a physician to HH 33rd Menri Trizin. Fortis Hospital is a private state-of-the art hospital. Neurosurgery always holds risks and it is also risky not to have the surgery. While we continue to be concerned about Wangchuk's feet, his spine is the major priority at this time....the feet will come later.
HH 34th Menri Trizin has given his blessings for the surgery upon Wangchuk's parental approval. Wangchuk's grateful father will be traveling from Nepal to India in the next few months to give his parental permission. Menri Monastery provides a very caring and loving environment for all the monks, nuns and children. A child is never turned away from the children's welfare center. The monastery struggles financially to provide the most basic of needs. The cost of Wangchuk's surgery is beyond what the monastery can provide, which is why we are reaching out to you to fulfill this urgent medical/surgical need. The sooner the surgery is done, the more effective it will be.
I personally oversee all contributions and expense accountability. Wangchuk is very excited about the surgery and is beyond grateful to those who contributed. Previous contributions paid for admission fees, 2 MRIs (brain and whole body), evaluation by a neurologist, X-Rays, blood tests, urine tests, echo-cardiogram, neuro-urology evaluation/testing, nerve conduction study, and more. This could not have happened without your generous financial support. There is more work to be done! We can make a huge difference in Wangchuk's life!!
Our hope is to schedule surgery for February, 2019, if the money can be raised before then. Wangchuk would be in Intensive Care for four days and hospitalized for approximately 12-14days. Let's make this happen!!!
Let us come together and exemplify the power of collective compassion!! November 15, 2018
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Update: March, 2019 Needed: Surgery for Wangchuk!
We still need to raise more money!! This is a wonderful opportunity to make a huge difference in someone's life!! Please help Wangchuk have his surgery this year! This surgery is critical for quality and longevity of life. Share this plea with as many people as you can. Every donation counts!! You can donate below or write a check payable to: Heart Mantra Foundation and sent to: Heart Mantra Foundation, PO Box 62, East Longmeadow, MA 01028 USA.
Update: March 2020
Wangchuk's Surgical Update: Wangchuk's 19 hour surgery on January 7, 2020, went well!! His recovery is great and he is getting stronger and stronger. During his lengthy surgery, calcified vertebrae were drilled apart and ligaments were cut to straighten his spine. He had two long titanium rods placed in his spine, one placed on each side with two horizontal rods to hold them in place. He had 24 titanium screws placed in his vertebrae to hold things in place. There was neuro-physicist present monitoring every nerve in Wangchuk's body during the surgery to make sure there was no nerves damaged during this long, delicate, and precise surgery. Wangchuk had 150 staples place in his spine to close the incision. Wangchuk spend four days in the neuro-intensive care unit and was later moved to a private room for ten days. Every day, Wangchuk made amazing progress and exceeded all healing expectations!! He was the star patient! He never complained! He just smiled and said how happy he was!! He was fitted for a brace which he will wear for six-months to stabilize & support the spine for complete healing. Wangchuk is doing well back at Menri Monastery. He has returned to see Dr. Pathak two times; to have the staples removed and x-rays to verify internal healing and proper placement of the hardware in his spine. There has been a 60% improvement in the spine and the curvature progression has been halted permanently!! Dr. Pathak is very pleased with Wangchuk's progress.
All of this happened because of everyone who donated towards the $20,000+ needed to cover the medical expenses and follow-up expenses. You should feel proud & honored to be a vital part of improving/saving Wangchuk's life in such a meaningful way. Wangchuk and his family are forever grateful and thank everyone from the bottom of their hearts!!
Many thanks goes to Dr. Ashis Pathak for his impressive knowledge & skills as a physician, as well as, his compassion as a human being.
Much gratitude goes to Phurba Thinley for his amazingly support throughout the entire process. He continues to oversee Wangchuk's medical care in India.
Thank you to Fortis Hospital and all the staff who cared for Wangchuk. They were all exceptional.
Thank you, dear friends of Heart Mantra Foundation!! You are Connecting Hearts around the World!!!
