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Jose Olman Santeliz, better know just as Olman (Ole-man)
came to live on the Mission Lazarus ranch as a teenager back in 2006 when his
dad was hired as a ranch foreman. Where Olman was lacking in stature he made up
for with a great smile, humble and loving personality, and respectful of
authority. When he graduated from high school, with no job opportunities around
and no means to continue in college, he started working as a hand on the ranch.
His hard work and humble spirit allowed him to quickly move into other positions
around Mission Lazarus including as the driver for our summer intern program.
All of the interns in 2008 and 2009 love Olman and Olman loved hanging out with
his peers from the USA. He wasn't embarrassed when they'd laugh at him because
the only US music he knew or "liked" was Back Street Boys. He was always very
careful when driving the interns and even when they'd harass him to drive
faster, he followed the established rule to not go more than 45 miles an hour.
In late 2009, frustrated that I could not find enough qualified Christian local
men and women to work for us I approached Olman to see if he'd be interested in
going to college. He was! He wanted to study agricultural engineering. I made
a few calls and a friend was able to get Olman an appointment to take the
entrance exam at the prestigious national agronomy school in Catacamas,
Honduras. Olman passed the exam and in early 2010 he was off to college, the
first in his family! This school, a former military school, still maintained a
very strict environment. Upon arriving at school Olman's head was shaved.
Trips back home to visit family were very limited. For a young man who grew up
on ranches in Honduras and Nicaragua in a tightly knit family this transition
was very tough. We were committed to Olman's education and made sure that he
had everything he needed for college and that the university bills were paid.
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Olman, 24 and now in his third year of his Ag Engineering
program, was recently invited to join a group that would travel to the US later
this year to visit other universities. Two weeks ago Olman wrote Ally and I
asking if we'd be able to help him with the expenses to get his passport and
visa. We answered of course and we were excited about the great experience
Olman would have. Last Friday Olman was able to get permission to leave school
to return home to get the paperwork that he needed for his passport and visa.
Early Sunday morning Olman's and his father drove to the bus station in
Choluteca for Olman to catch the first bus to Tegucigalpa, and then on to
Catacamas. At the bus station, in an apparent attempted robbery, Olman was shot
twice in the neck. In the chaos Olman's father took off after the assailant and
Olman was left in the car. Olman mustered the strength to drive himself across
town, with his neck blown open, unable to speak, to the public hospital in
Choluteca. He did not quite make it when he stumbled out of his car and some
police officers found him and drug him into the emergency room.
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Immediately the attending physicians realized that Olman's
injuries were far more complex than what they'd be able to handle. An ambulance
was called and Olman, now accompanied by his uncle, headed to the capital,
Tegucigalpa, without a Dr, nurse or even a paramedic. Due to Olman's injuries
he was unable to sit upright because blood would pour into his lungs and the
same if he laid down on his back. His only option was to sit with his head
below his knees so that the blood would pour out of his neck. After about an
hour on the road Olman was really week and his uncle feared he was going to
bleed out and die. They stopped the ambulance in the town of San Lorenzo at
another hospital where he was given a shot to control or slow the bleeding, then
they continued on the road to Tegucigalpa.
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Finally, after the long 3 hour journey they arrived in
Tegucigalpa at the National Public Teaching Hospital. Now almost 8 AM, 5 hours
had passed since the shooting. Olman had yet to receive any medication for pain
or bandages to cover his wounds. In the public hospital in the capital he was
told that they were on strike, the operating room was closed, that there was
nothing that they could do for him. Desperate for options Olman grabbed a piece
of paper and told his family that he was dying, he was drowning in his own blood
and he asked his family to try and get in touch with me, that I'd be able to get
him into a private hospital where he could get treatment. With this in mind
they caught a taxi and headed to the Honduras Medical Center, a western style
private hospital where my son was born by C-section in 2005. Upon arriving at
the ER his uncle with only about $800 in hand that had been loaned to him, was
able to convince the hospital to help Olman, that there was an American that
they were sure would help them with the expenses. It was now 8:30 AM, 5 1/2
hours since the shooting, still no pain medication, still no bandages. The
hospital agreed and Olman was immediately prepped for surgery, what would turn
out to be the first of five.
By chance I happened to be in Central
America this week with meetings in Honduras and Nicaragua. I received a phone
call from Olman's mom about 9 AM on Sunday as I was driving to the capital.
When I got to the hospital at about 2 PM Olman had just come out of his 4th
surgery and was in the ICU. The Dr. told me that Olman could hear me but he was
too weak to open his eyes and with a trach in his throat he would not be able to
talk. I encouraged and prayed with Olman and he squeezed my hand when I told
him that I loved him. I fought back tears. Overwhelmed at what had happened to
this amazing young man who everyone at Mission Lazarus and my family love
dearly.
I had to leave that afternoon due to previously scheduled
meetings in Nicaragua but I arrived late last night back in Tegucigalpa and got
to Olman's room about 9 PM. He was resting after having undergone another
surgery yesterday, number five, to put a plate in his jaw that had been broken
by one of the bullets. His face was severely swollen, his mouth wired shut, one
of his lungs the Dr. told me still had a great deal of blood in it but in the
grand scheme of things Olman had made it through the roughest part. He took two
bullets to the neck that destroyed his esophagus and windpipe but did not hit
his spine, vocal chords, or any major veins or arteries. That alone was nothing
short of a miracle.
Unfortunately for most of Honduras the chance to
make it to a private hospital does not exist. And with a broken social services
system they would have bled out, just like was doing, and they would have died
because the surgeons or the hospital were on strike.
Today Olman is to
be moved to a regular room. He should be in the hospital for at least another 8
- 10 days. I don't make a habit of asking for money but today we do need your
help. As of today, 5 surgeries and 5 days in ICU we owe $30,000.00. Mission
Lazarus operates month to month and depends on the generosity of thousands of
interested Christians around the country. If you are in a position to help,
even if it's just $25, it would be greatly appreciated. Don't consider this a
quick donation to help Mission Lazarus, please consider this an investment in
the future of a great young man, a young man who undoubtably will be used to
transform lives here in Honduras. If you have any questions please don't
hesitate to contact me. I'll be flying to the US tomorrow.
In the mean time please pray for Olman. |
All donations for Olman's
treatment are 100% tax deductible. They can be mailed to:
Mission
Lazarus
PO Box 150524
Nashville, TN 37215
Please note: "Olman" on
the memo line
http://honduras.missionlazarus.org/
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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