"Olman
was to die, Olman was not to live" those were the words of the surgeon who Ally
and I met with this past Wednesday in Olman's room at the Honduras Medical
Center. The surgeon went into great detail explaining the severity of the
trauma that had been caused to Olman by the two bullets that hit him. In the
first report that I sent I had described how the two bullets had hit Olman in
the neck. However, after having more time to talk with the Dr's and surgeons
and to learn more about Olman's injuries I learned that he'd actually been shot
in the side of his face, the bullets shattering his jaw, then going down into
his esophagus, before exiting the other side of his neck. What we had realized
from the moment we had learned of Olman's injuries, was once again proclaimed by
one of the surgeons, "It truly is a miracle that Olman is
alive!"
Financial support has poured in from across the U.S. and
Honduras. Olman's fellow classmates took to the streets of Catacamas, Honduras
collecting money for his treatment and were able to raise 50,000 Lempiras, about
$2500. To date we have spent nearly $40,000 on medical bills for Olman. Indeed
a lot of money, but compared to what this treatment would have cost in the US it
is a bargain. We have not been billed for this past week of his hospital stay
yet but the good news is that he'll hopefully be released this coming week.
Olman will still have a tracheostomy and his jaw will remain wired shut for at
least another 4 weeks. If you've been considering helping out with Olman's
medical bills please do. Due to the seriousness of Olman's injuries it is
likely that he'll need a nurse once he's released from the hospital and Olman
will have many more doctor visits over the next few months.
I wish you
could see the gratitude in the eyes of Olman and his parents, his mother in
particular. A very spiritual lady, who has continually thanked God for everyone
who's blessed their family. If you'd like to help with Olman's bills you can
donate online by clikcing here: Donate Now| https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=VBE52WJEDWJ6L or
you can mail a check to:
Mission Lazarus
PO Box 150524
Nashville, TN
37215
please note "Olman" on the check
All donations are 100% tax
deductible.
Olman Day 1, in intensive care.
Olman Day 4, after reconstructive surgery on his
jaw.
Olman day 12, this past Thursday morning, looking
great!
Original Report June 14, 2012
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 loved 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.
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
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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