After a 15-month hiatus, Global Medical Relief Fund’s mission to serve children becomes reality once again
After the world was hit with 15 months of restrictions and clobbered by the country’s worst surge of coronavirus infections, the “Dare to Dream House” is once again breathing in life as the first five of 60 children seeking medical care arrive one by one.
The home in Arrochar that provides lodging and housing for children in dire need of care and treatment is one of the amenities provided by the Global Medical Relief Fund (GMRF), of which Elissa Montanti is founder and director.
GMRF’s mission is to help homeless children who are victims of war, natural disasters or other catastrophes locally and worldwide, by providing care, compassion and access to free medical treatments.
“They are our four follow-up Tanzanian children with albinism,” says Montanti, an Advance Woman of Achievement, in speaking of the four boys who’ve been staying at the Dare to Dream House. “These children are hunted for their body parts because of a sick superstition that dictates its good luck because they are albino,’' she said, adding that she’s also welcomed a 6-year-old child from Nicaragua.
Montanti adds that next week, a follow-up visit for a 12-year-old boy from the Philippines who lost his leg to the 2010 typhoon will become a reality.
“We normally help about 25 to 30 children a year,” she said. “But, because we are so backlogged, we have 60 coming now. These children have desperately been waiting to come, to walk, to see and reach and receive much-needed surgery.”
Montanti explains that the youngsters are vaccinated upon arrival because the wait in their country is endless and there’s a lot of red tape arranging for travel and safety.
“It was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together in getting the kids here,’' Montanti said. “In order to book the flight, you need both a Visa and COVID test. But you need to do this all within 72 of flying. However, you need to wait 48 hours for the results. But you have to make sure you depart within the next 24 hours. Needless to say, this was a challenge, especially for the Tanzanian children, who needed to be COVID tested twice because flights don’t run in sync. That being said, there is only one lab in the whole country that does testing. We don’t know how fortunate we are to be living in the United States. I know how blessed I am and will never, ever take it for granted.”
Elissa offers kudos to Councilwoman Debi Rose, Assemblyman Michael Cusick and Sen. Charles Schumer, who were influential in getting through to the American Embassy in Tanzania when Montanti was unable to transmit her paperwork. “The workforce was on remote and they got through to them,” she said.
Of special mention is Dr. Michael Gastaldi who worked at “warp speed” to create a new set of teeth for Emmanuel, a Tanzanian boy. Sadly, his attackers badly hurt his mouth while trying to yank his tongue.
And Montanti adds a special “thank you” to Daniel Messina, president and CEO of Richmond University Medical Center, who is always there to help the disadvantaged children from out of the country, she said.
During the pandemic, the Global Medical Relief Fund gave back to the community by hosting pop-up food drives that will continue, though less frequently.
The organization will resume its annual fundraiser this year. But, in the meantime, it will host its fourth annual “Children Helping Children Concert,” virtually, on Sunday, July 11 at 6 p.m.
GMRF was created in 1997 by one person working out of a small apartment on Staten Island. And since that time, GMRF, along with partners-in-effort, doctors, nurses, hospitals and community volunteers, have worked for more than 20 years helping more than 375 hopeless children from 51 countries — including the United States — who made over 1,400 follow-up visits.