Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Sam's New Arm


A few weeks ago, I received a call from EW (a great Karen case manager from a local refugee service agency). One of his clients had an issue and wanted to know if we could help. A state agency was assisting a Kayah man in obtaining an arm prosthesis. So far, so good.



The catch?

The agency requires a physician's prescription.

Why? I'm not real sure.....I don't think it takes an advanced degree to realize the man is missing an arm. And that his life would be improved by having a prosthesis.

SIDE NOTE: A great example of one of our frequent frustrations in refugee outreach work and working within bureaucracy........ the rules are the rules. No room to question the rule. Just follow it.

Anyways, a prescription is easy.....if you have insurance, a primary care provider, an understanding of the US health care system, a good grasp of the English language, etc., etc.,

Obviously, for this gentleman, this was not the case. He had none of this. We could have signed him up for the local safety net hospital. We could gather the necessary paperwork. Make an appointment for an eligibility determination. Then, if he does qualify to be seen at the hospital clinic, be put on a waiting list (at the time of this post....8 weeks). After an 8 week wait, start calling every morning until you get an appointment (several new patient appointments open up every morning...be sure to start calling at 8 am).

So.....this was not the most efficient plan to get this man a prosthesis.

Here's where we can assist, we went by this man's apartment. And found out a little more information. Sam (for the purpose of this post), is a 40 something year old Kayah man with a wife and 2 children. With his limited English and his disability, he has found it difficult to secure employment. He lost his arm while in Thailand, from a condition called Sarcoma.

So...now we have the information we need....now to get a physician's prescription.

Luckily, a great young family practice resident (Dr. A.) is empathetic to the struggle of the refugee community helped us out. His empathy and compassion come from a very real place. While a young child, Dr. A. and his family came to this country as refugees from Laos. Dr. A's family is an inspiring story.....his parents both worked at a factory, printing shirts. Dr A. is now a family practice resident while his sister is an Internal Medicine resident. (The refugees from Burma one day? Which of these children will turn out to be Dr. A?)

Dr. A. wrote a prescription. It was delivered to Sam, who turned it in to the swift wheels of bureaucracy. Not surprisingly, no prosthesis yet....but a little closer.

A few more barriers reduced.
A little more compassion and mercy provided to a man who has lived with so much injustice.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Ta Paw's Story


Ta Paw and his daughter, Hay Blu Moo

While almost all of the Karen we meet are amazingly kind, Ta Paw and his family exemplify the resiliency and determination that inspire us to continue trying to help. In late 2008, Ta Paw was waiting at the bus stop on the corner of the street where he and his family lives. He was waiting to take a series of buses that would eventually end up at a factory in Dallas where he was scheduled to interview for a job. While he was waiting, a group of teenage boys came up from behind him, beat him, and robbed him. They stole his wallet, which contained his I-94 card (similar to a passport for refugees), his ID card, and his Social Security card. In talking with a bruised and battered Ta Paw a few days later, it became clear that his attackers had taken much more than the few dollars that were in his wallet. Ta Paw had experienced a number of challenges since arriving in the U.S., but for the first time since leaving the violence of his homeland, he came face to face with physical violence just around the corner from his new home. He was devastated. And it seems that sometimes when it rains it pours. Attempting to get a replacement Social Security card OR a new ID OR a replacement I-94 proved to be nearly impossible, because in order to get a new Social Security Card, he would need to show ID, but in order to get a new ID, he needed to show his I-94. It was a compounding nightmare that literally lasted 9.5 months by the time we got all three documents back, during which time he was not permitted to work because he did not have proper documentation.

When he finally received his new I-94 card in the mail, he called us elated. The next day he went to apply for a job, and returned home devastated once again. There had been a typographical error made on his I-94 card, and his birthdate had been inverted. Instead of 3-12-61, the card read 12-3-61. Because the dates on his I-94 and ID didn't match, the employer would not hire him. We immediately applied for a new I-94, and were told that we could expect another 6 month wait for the application to be processed, despite the fact that the error was made by their office and not Ta Paw. Finally, last month Ta Paw received his corrected I-94 card. He spent 2 days applying for jobs in Dallas and when he was not hired, he drove to Kansas City because he heard from his brother-in-law that a meat packing company there was hiring. He's been in Kansas City for a month, staying in an apartment with 7 other Karen men and sending all of his earnings to his family in Dallas. He says his plan is to continue to work in Kansas City until October, then return to Dallas and try again to find work here.

Our families at Christmas this year



Ta Paw's wife, Aye Aye, holding their daughter and Kai, with her father, Pu Pu, looking on.