MENBERE & MOGUS

FREEDOM, HOPE, AND LOVE.

Letter from Avital Sandler Loeff. Executive Director, International Development and Disaster Response

This Passover, we want to share with you this story of freedom, hope and love.

This beautiful couple, Menbere and Mogus, did not meet at a restaurant or on social media.  They met at the hospital in Ghana where they were both having complex spinal surgery and rehabilitation.

Born in Addis, Menbere quit school after being teased by classmates and even some teachers for her "hunchback" scoliosis. She came to the JDC clinic at age 15 with severe breathing difficulty and we were able to send her for surgery in Ghana soon after. Following her second surgery she fell into a coma, had to be put on a ventilator, and had temporary paralysis from the waist down. But she fought through it all.  With a third surgery and lots of physiotherapy, she learned how to walk again. And while recuperating in Ghana, she met Moges. Moges' journey through life was similar to his wife's. Facing severe spinal deformity, he awaited surgery for five years. Dr. Rick Hodes accompanied Moges to Ghana and even brought him a dozen English books to read while he had to spend months in traction. 

In February this year, we were delighted to hear that Menbere and Moges got married! Moges now works as a content creator for a Youtube channel and Menbere is a pharmacy technician.  We wish them great happiness and health in their life together.   

Our spine program will continue to change lives, and we are now working build the capacity of local Ethiopian doctors and nurses to perform spinal surgery.  
Last week, a group of 17 health professionals underwent the first training on school screening and early detection of spinal deformity, in collaboration with Addis Ababa Health Bureau, led by Dr. Abraham Tadele and Lemma Lendebo from the JDC Ethiopia office.

Avital + the JDC- GRID team