Posted on 05/16/2008 5:59:43 PM PDT by khnyny
Galvanized by the heartrending story of Chinese teenager Yang Liu, whose crushed legs were amputated to free her from the rubble of her school in southwestern China, foreign aid groups are preparing to donate prosthetic services and artificial limbs to earthquake victims.
Early this morning, Chinese doctors amputated Yang's legs, the only way to rescue her from a massive pile of concrete slabs and bricks before carrying her down to a waiting ambulance that rushed her to a hospital in the nearby city of Deyang.
The operation took less than 20 minutes and her condition remains precarious, doctors told reporters at the site.
International aid groups are prepared to assist Yang and thousands of other earthquake victims who've suffered crushed limbs, much as the groups did in the aftermath of the devastating Pakistan earthquake in 2005.
In the next two or three days, the Pakistan office of Helping Hands for Relief and Development, an international medical aid organization, is planning to send a team to the affected area in China to assess the need for prosthetic limbs, according to spokesman Shahid Hayat.
After the Pakistan earthquake, the group provided 1,500 artificial limbs, consisting mainly of legs, several dozen feet and a few upper limbs to victims, many of whom were children like Yang who needed to have both legs amputated.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Where are you Warren Buffet? Where are you Hedge Fund Managers and so many others?
I'm not making value judgements, and I know a lot of people do things anonymously, but now is not one of those times. Shame others into doing more.
China should take care of the Chinese. If they have enough money to build thousands of missiles pointed at democracies, they have enough to help their own disaster victims.
You don’t just donate “parts”. They need time to heal...weeks.. and they needed to be fitted and receive therapy.
That's the crux of the matter. They steal the people's resources to maintain their own power and privilege, then rely on the rest of the world to bail them out when trouble comes.
Poor kid. I saw a picture of her the other day when a rescue worker was giving her a drink of water and I wondered then if there was any hope for her.
Even if they had been able to remove the rubble, it was clear from the picture and the size of the debris on her that her legs would not make it even if she did.
This particular article struck me in it’s “spin”. Thank you for making sense and confirming my gut reaction.
“I’m not making value judgments...”
Of course you are!
Feel free to donate to any causes you feel deserve your dollars. In my family, Charity Begins At Home. I’ve volunteered and helped out with local Natural Disasters in the past (tornadoes, floods, families displaced by fire, etc.) and don’t even think TWICE about sending aid overseas to Communist countries.
There’s only so much one can do, but I REFUSE to have the media manipulate me in this manner. There are plenty of “amputee kids” in my own state (we have one or two amputations via farm equipment each season) or those dying of cancer or CF that need my help. I’ve rocked ‘Crack Babies’ at my local hospital, put together layette sets for indigent new mothers (the babe shouldn’t pay for the sins of the parents, IMHO) crocheted countless booties and hats for premies, etc.
Sorry. No help from this quarter.
I know; I’m so MEAN! :)
Would it not be better to do a fund raiser and offer for her to come here for therapy? Anyway...prayers up for them.
No, you’re not mean. From what I’m picking up, it seems your reserves are pretty well spent, if not exhausted. This is not addressed to you.
My message is: we are all connected. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, so you do unto ME.” The Good Samaritan, yada, yada, yada.
Well, I’ll always be a Good Samaritan, but close to home versus on the road to Damascus, or Red China. :)
Of course, great idea. Do a fund raiser here and have the victims come for therapy and advanced medical treatment. I mean, come on, we can build someone a new house and make it a hit TV show, but wouldn’t this be 10 times better????
If we keep bailing out the despots around the world, the people will never revolt. Let China take care of the Chinese.
Well, that’s a “grand chessboard” way of looking at things, and I’m sure it deserves some merit in the “big picture”, let’s manipulate the world kind of mindset. I see that philosophy’s merit’s, I truly do, but I cannot ignore my fellow man. The road to hell has many times been paved with good intentions.
The road to Damascus has gotten much bigger, imho.
We bring Iraqi kids here. Kids all over the world come for medical treatment. I’ve seen a few documentaries but I don’t think any got a new house. Most just go back home without the media ever knowing. Shrug.
There are millions of starving and suffering people in the world. We can’t help them all. Begin with yoiur family, your friends, your community, your co-religionists, your country, and your allies. When all this has been accomplished, you can assist those who hate you like those in Indonesia, and those that can be helped by their own, but won’t be if we step in. Every dollar that the Chinese must spend on their disasters is one less that they have to kill and maim the Tibetans and us. Iran, Syria, and the Taleban are using Chinese weapons on our troops and our allies.
We are trying to win “hearts and minds”. Hearts and minds will never be won with your kind of philosophy. That much, I can be confident in saying, I do know.
If the Chinese government didn’t have the money, I would be the first to help. They do have the money and they will either help or they won’t. If we do send money, this little girl might get some of it because of the PR, but most would go to those in power.
You can not save anyone they don’t want to save. If they won’t them saved, they can do it without you.
This story is already worldwide - the media can make use of their power - or not. The web is power to the people. Th real decision is, will the real story be told or a faccilimated version?
Yes, many are hurting here too. I believe that by helping others in other nations, we can reach people economically and spirtually though. Once they have tasted freedom they can never the same. Bringing a child and parents here for medical tx let’s them see who we are and what we stand for.. JMO
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