It has been 23 years since Dr. Rick Hodes left his comfortable life in the United States to join the relief effort in a famine stricken Ethiopia.
Today, Ethiopia is his home.
It is one of the poorest countries in the world. And it’s people suffer from a disproportionate amount of heart disease, cancer and spine diseases. These are the illnesses Dr. Hodes specializes in.
He works out of the Mother Teresa Mission where he either treats or arranges for treatments in other countries. His work costs about a million dollars a year. Much of the funding comes from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. But they can’t carry the entire load. And so fundraisers are an import source of income.
This April 4th – with the help of Vancouver Philanthropists Gary and Nanci Segal – the Bring Back Hope Fundraiser will be held in the hopes of helping Dr. Hodes continue his good work. You can find out more by checking out their website http://www.bringbackhope.com/#025/custom_plain
Reporter Linda Aylesworth brings us the story of Tesfaye Negussie Aangaw who was treated by Dr. Hodes due to his untreated spinal tuberculosis.
His back was so misshapen that no hospital in Africa could treat him.
Years later, Tesfaye is standing tall and loving life, and Dr. Hodes continues to help many others like him.
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