Serving the Sick & Poor Locally, Nationally, and Internationally Since 1953 Former Miss USA Rima Fakih Slaiby on the left, next to WMR board member Bill Bazzi, Center Board Chair Mike Baydoun next to Majd Faraj, World Medical Relief Ambassador. Photo: Bill Chapman Photography. MIRACLES FOR STUDENT LED RELIEF Helping and healing are second nature to Majd Faraj. A third-year student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, he became acquainted with World Medical Relief during his first year of medical education, through his school’s chapter of United2Heal. As a United2Heal volunteer, he, along with his fellow OU students, spent Saturdays sorting medical supplies in the warehouse. It was through this volunteer activity that Majd met Dr. George Samson, President and CEO of World Medical Relief. A friendship grew, which allowed Majd both greater insight into the mission of our agency as well as how far its reach extended across the globe. That larger understanding proved useful when, on August 5, 2020, a massive explosion occurred in Beirut, Lebanon. The blast, which is considered to be one of the most substantial non-nuclear explosions in history, was the cause of more than 200 deaths, thousands THE GOOD SAMARITAN Spring 2022 of injuries, and the equivalent of $15 billion U.S. dollars in property damage, which left an estimated 300,000 people homeless. Majd was born in Lebanon, and several family members, including his parents, and friends still call the country home. Because of the supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Majd had created a Go Fund Me campaign, Medical Supplies to Lebanon, to assist with getting crucial medical items to the country, which was in need prior to the late summer disaster. Within 48 hours of the explosion, more than $63,000 was raised. That money, along with the all-important assistance of World Medical Relief, covered the cost of nearly $2 million worth of medical supplies and equipment and the shipping fees for the four containers carrying them. At the time, Dr. Samson prioritized shipping to Lebanon before other scheduled countries not only because of the devastation Continued on page 3
George V. Samson, Ph.D. We are so thankful that many of you inquired about how to assist the people of Ukraine. We are fortunate that with your help and the help of our partners, University of Michigan, Omnis Foundation, Doctors Collaborating to Help Children as well as Beaumont Health Systems, we were able to send the first of what we hope to be several shipments of medical supplies and instruments to treat the wounded in this war-struck country. As you can imagine, the logistics are difficult, and we hope that the corridors through which the aid is being transported into Ukraine will remain open. The war has far reaching consequences for our other humanitarian relief work as there is only a set number of containers that shipping companies own. Many containers are stuck in Russia or containers that are full and destined for Russia cannot go because of the imposed sanctions, causing a worlwide shortage of containers. On a positive note: a few Saturdays ago, we enjoyed the company of many Arab American college students, who came to pack a container shipment for Lebanon. This country is suffering from one of the world’s worst economic meltdowns and it was so wonderful to see all these young people willing to help. In our ever changing world, I have an announcement to make. Our longtime Director of Development and Community Affairs, Josephine Jabara, asked to step down from her position. In February, her mother-in-law, Julia, contracted Covid. She survived it but her dementia was negatively affected by the Covid virus and she is now living with Josephine and her husband Jim. Josephine will stay on as my Development Advisor to ensure continuity for World Medical Relief and to guide the new Director of Development where needed. Josephine started out as the executive assistant to my predecessor, Rita Grezlik, but soon advanced into the position of Director of Development and Community Affairs. In that role, she built a well-run fundraising and communications department. She was also responsible for creating and maintaining contact with many strategic partners benefiting both the local and the international programs, and over the years recruited an army of volunteers including her own family and friends. On Behalf of World Medical Relief ’s Board of Directors, I Would Like to Thank Josephine for Her Dedication to The Mission. Josephine Jabara along with her family and CEO George Samson. Photo: Bernie Beutel 2 THE GOOD SAMARITAN
by the LSA, for a total of $22,400! Beirut damaged grain silos. CONTINUATION of MIRACLES caused by the blast, but because of Majd’s dedication and hard work. As Dr. Samson said, “I can see with Majd’s heart that he cares about the sick and the poor, especially the country where he and his parents are from. That’s very important.” The success of those shipments, the lives those supplies saved, and the bond created by hard work and commitment to the people of Lebanon sparked another shipment recently, this time with a focus on much-needed items that weren’t necessarily medical supplies. Once again driven by the need to help those impacted by both the continuing breakdown in the global supply chain as well as the recent military strikes in Ukraine, Majd organized another Go Fund Me campaign to get food and other vital supplies, such as baby diapers and feminine hygiene products, to Beirut. As before, his efforts were aided by donations from those he knew as well as those he did not — at least at the time the campaign began. A wonderful coincidence occurred through the generosity of the Lebanese Student Association (LSA), which has chapters at several colleges and universities in Southeastern Michigan. Prior to the pandemic, the various groups would get together for a combined yearly gala; however, the rise of COVID, coupled with the need to keep its members safe and healthy while completing their education, stopped the in-person event in 2020 and 2021. 2022 was a different story. The gala not only happened, but the funds the event raised were directed to the Beirut Food Drive. It’s here that a second miracle occurred. Former Miss Michigan and Miss USA Rima Fakih was the keynote speaker of the 2022 gala. The philanthropist, a Dearborn, Michigan native and a graduate of University of These monies were used to buy food staples such as sugar and flour, all of which have been in short supply since the pandemic began. Just as the Beirut blast caused additional issues for the people of Lebanon, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has further impacted the food security in one of the world’s smallest, yet most culturally diverse, countries. Much of Lebanon’s grain, along with many cooking basics, came from Ukraine. Additionally, Beirut’s grain silos, which were heavily damaged in the port blast of 2020, were ordered destroyed by the Lebanese government as the containers were making their way from Southfield to the Middle East, since there was a fear that these would collapse, causing even more havoc. These containers, filled with essentials in several categories, from food to feminine care products to medical supplies, will reach Lebanon at a truly essential time in the survival of so many. Once the containers arrive, the Lebanese Food Bank, which received the shipment care of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, will distribute all of the items across Lebanon, including Beirut. The medical supplies will be fanned out to not only hospitals, but urgent care locations and clinics throughout the country. As in 2020, the success of the campaign, paired with the speed at which World Medical Relief was able to pack and ship the units, was bittersweet to Majd. “Seeing the country that taught me everything and made me who I am, weighed down in tragedy after tragedy, is very painful; however, the resolve of the Lebanese people, along with the ceaseless generosity and heart of people here in the United States and the critical assistance of World Medical Relief, makes me know how much good there is in the world.” Students preparing shipment for Lebanon. S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 • W W W.W O R L D M E D I C A L R E L I E F.O R G 3
As assistance for Ukraine pours in from across the world, people here in Michigan have been helping as well, many with personal connections. From artists to doctors, those offering assistance draw from their own experiences to understand the suffering of those in Europe’s second largest country. To raise money in support of Ukrainian aid, Ann Arbor artist Annette Janik created and sold pisanki (pysanky in Ukrainian), elaborate and beautiful dyed and hand-etched eggs, which are part of the folk art tradition in Eastern European countries. This family tradition was inspired by her grandmother, who immigrated to Dearborn, Michigan from Poland, which borders Ukraine to the west. Every Easter, three generations of women would create palm-sized works of art in celebration of spring. Janik told The Detroit Free Press, “In the last few years of my grandmother’s life, she… had a lot of health issues… I think of her when I see (disabled) people in Ukraine that just physically can’t leave. She would have been one of those people.” Like Janik, Ann Arbor-based plastic surgeon Dr. David Brown also felt personally connected to the suffering of those in Ukraine; however, his relationship to the region was rooted in more recent history: for nearly a decade, he, along with a team of other medical professionals from across People sleeping in subway shelter. the United States, have traveled to the country to operate on children in need of plastic and reconstructive surgery because of severe burns, some related to past Russian military action, others from accidents of day-to-day living. Burns, Dr. Brown said, impact all areas of a patient’s life. Movements we take for granted, such as walking, closing our eyes, or even turning our heads, can be difficult, if not impossible, for someone with acute burns. While skin remains elastic as we grow, burns do not. The young patients the medical mission team helps may need additional surgeries, sometimes as often as yearly or every two years. When air strikes began, Dr. Brown immediately thought about the children of Ukraine. Photos showing medical personnel providing care for premature newborns in the basement of a bombed out hospital in which he had previously worked in Dnipro, the country’s fourth largest city, struck a personal, painful cord.
said, “(The nurses) were sitting on little cots on the floor by the supply shelves with ventilator bags, just hand venting the patients, because they couldn’t take the ventilators down there when they were getting bombed. Each of us who know these people personally are devastated by the news.” Again, an intimate connection to Ukraine motivated another Michigander to provide vital assistance to people thousands of miles away. Dr. Brown reached out to Dr. Gennadiy Fuzaylov, a Boston pediatric anesthesiologist, who had organized the previous medical relief trips to the region. Together, the two doctors, along with their former colleagues in Ukraine, devised a list of much-needed supplies, including bandages, sutures, and syringes. Between “really good donors” in both Detroit and Boston, the necessary items were gathered with the assistance of World Medical Supply and Omnis Foundation, a shipment of eight pallets left Michigan in early April, destined for Poland. Once there, ground delivery will begin, with this first batch of supplies fanning out to medical aid workers in not only Dnipro, but Lviv and Kyviv as well. Dr. Fuzaylov, whose parents immigrated from the former Soviet Union, said an additional shipment of supplies is on route from Boston as well. Like Janik and his colleague Dr. Brown, the firsthand relationship Dr. Fuzaylov has with Ukraine and its people, led him to found Doctors Collaborating to Help Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving pediatric burn care in Ukraine. “When you stay in one area, your impact is high,” he told The Detroit Free Press. Both doctors hope to send more supplies on a continuing basis to Ukraine, which is where World Medical Relief’s assistance becomes so necessary. “I do know who needs bandages and syringes and how to ask people for them here in this country. ...And so that’s what we’re doing. If we can spread that word a little bit and let people know that somethings being done that they can feel good about, maybe they’d be willing to pitch in and help out.” The wish list for the next shipment includes surgical instruments, gauze, bandages, water filters, tourniquets, suture materials, electrocardiogram machines, surgical gowns, sterile drapes, and more, said George Samson, President & CEO of World Medical Relief. Volunteers are also needed to help pack supplies. To support Ukraine relief, please donate at: www.worldmedicalrelief.org/donateonline S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 • W W W.W O R L D M E D I C A L R E L I E F.O R G 5
become an integral part of our organization. Along with his service on the World Medical Relief Board of Directors, Dr. Danan was part of a 2003 medical team mission to Africa. The team, which included Tommy Thompson, then United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, sought to investigate a variety of pandemics, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, which plagued several countries across the continent, in hopes of devising creative strategies to improve and expand U.S. efforts in Africa. Lulu Danan Titran (daughter) with Rebecca Tungol, WMR board member Earlier this year, the World Medical Relief Surgical Instruments Area was named for Dr. Bernardo “Bernie” and Mrs. Luz Danan. In honor of their long-term association with our organization and its mission, their family chose to dedicate this vital space to the devoted couple. The Danan’s 62-year partnership was built on a foundation of compassion, generosity, and togetherness, principles they instilled in their five children as well as their numerous grandchildren. Happiest with each other, Bernie may have had a more visible professional life, but the love and support he received from Luz proved the venerable adage: behind every great man is a great woman. Even with family always at the forefront, countless hours were devoted to helping others, here in Metro Detroit and in their native country of the Philippines. As a surgeon, Dr. Danan strived to relieve suffering on a daily basis, but he, along with his wife, sought to provide assistance beyond his work hours. For two decades, Dr. Danan participated in several global medical missions, and offered general surgery to impoverished patients in rural areas of the Philippines. Dr. Danan was vital in both funding and shipping, along with the assistance of World Medical Relief, of more than $2,000,000 worth of medical supplies and equipment to victims of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption. It was that profound experience that led him to 6 Through all of Dr. Danan’s humanitarian missions and busy work schedule, he and his wife remained devoted to one another and their loving, supportive family. Their home was forever bustling with their children and grandchildren, all of whom share warm memories of these two dedicated, attentive people and their welcoming home. Memories of the couple were at the center of the March 12, 2022 naming ceremony which was scheduled on Bernie’s birthday. After opening remarks from our Board of Directors Chairman Mike M. Baydoun, Father Artemio “Father Tim” Galos recounted Dr. Danan’s international medical mission work, noting his devotion to those in need, regardless of nationality or location. Before presenting the plaque to the Danan family, World Medical Relief President and CEO Dr. George Samson said, “Our organization is grateful to Dr. Danan and his wife for bringing such an amazing grace to us, through their presence and dedication, which helped us fulfill our mission, our special humanitarian mission. They were both so very proud of all of you — their children and grandchildren — and we are so thankful to have them be a part of World Medical Relief for so many years.” Danan Family in front of the surgical area. THE GOOD SAMARITAN
EXPANDS LOCAL SERVICES Throughout 2022, World Medical Relief will host monthly visits from the Wayne Health Mobile Unit, which will provide several health-related services, including cholesterol screenings and COVID-19 boosters, free of charge to all who need them. This exciting community health partnership was initiated by World Medical Relief’s former development director Josephine Jabara, after she witnessed the impact of the mobile clinic at a Unify Detroit Coalition health fair in Detroit. Josephine Jabara at Mobile clinic in Detroit Under the leadership of the Edward S. Thomas Endowed Professor of Emergency Medicine and Assistant Vice President of Translational Research for Wayne State University Dr. Phillip Levy, the Wayne Health Mobile Unit began in Spring 2020, as the burgeoning pandemic gave rise to the need for flexible, on-the-move, COVID-19 testing for frontline workers. Eventually, as Dr. Levy and his colleagues reported in a year-long analysis of the project, the model changed to providing care for susceptible populations in Metro Detroit and beyond. Mobile clinic at WMR It’s this focus on those most in need of medical services that drove World Medical Relief to establish its monthly — there will be a break in July — Wayne Health Mobile Unit day. In addition to general health screenings, as well as COVID testing, vaccinations, and boosters, patients may also have their blood pressure and vital signs checked. No insurance or ID is needed to access services, which are free of charge, thanks to funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and philanthropic support. The effort is supported by the City of Southfield Human Services department and Oakland County Commissioner Janet Jackson. Jackson who sits on the World Medical Relief Advisory Board says, “World Medical Relief is an asset internationally and locally as the organization has consistently addressed health care needs in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb county. I applaud the latest collaboration with Wayne Mobile Health as it offers a convenient opportunity for people to get the care they need.” For more information about the mobile clinic at World Medical Relief, visit https:// www.worldmedicalrelief.org/mobileclinic As rapid COVID testing became readily available, the report noted, the Wayne Health Mobile Unit team turned toward providing services to “patients from socially vulnerable areas who might lack transportation or otherwise be unable to access such services. From April 2020 to March 2021, they evolved and expanded into offering other services, such as lipid testing and blood pressure measurement.” The study reported that, from March 20, 2020 through March 24, 2021, the Detroit mobile health unit program reached 32,523 people. S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 • W W W.W O R L D M E D I C A L R E L I E F.O R G 7
REQUESTED NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID SOUTHFIELD, MI PERMIT 699 WORLD MEDICAL RELIEF, INC. 21725 Melrose Ave. Southfield, MI 48075 Phone: (313) 866-5333 Fax: (313) 866-5588 info@worldmedicalrelief.org www.worldmedicalrelief.org The World’s 1st Pacemaker Reconditioning Facility The Good Samaritan Board of Directors 2022-2023 Mike M. Baydoun (Chair) Bruce George Hon. Consul General, Consulate of the Republic of Liberia Partner, Global Macro Hedge Fund Nidhal Garmo (Vice Chair) President, MEA Radio & Television Barima Opong-Owusu, CPA (Treasurer) President, Fighting AIDS with Nutrition President, PACCM Co-Founder, My Heart Your Heart Greg Baise, RPh Michael P. Skinner President, One World Medical Mission Rebecca Tungol (Secretary) WCPA, FAWN Board of Trustees Bill Bazzi Mayor, Dearborn Heights Commander of Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council Ernestina de los Santos Mac MD Pediatric Department Beaumont Hospital – Troy (Ret.) Dr. Ned M. Fawaz Founder & Chief Executive Officer Energy International 8 Wally Jadan Chaplain Frank Julian Al L. Romero, M.D. Business Banking Vice-President, Huntington Bank Guy Sohou Attorney & Counselor at Law George V. Samson, Ph.D. (President & CEO) VOLUNTEER SATURDAYS May 2022: 7,14, 21, 28 June 2022: 4,11,18, 25 July 2022: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Aug. 2022: 6, 13, 20, 27 Sept. 2022: 3, 10, 17, 24 Oct. 2022: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Nov. 2022: 5, 12, 19 Dec. 2022: 3, 10, 17 2022 GALA Saturday, October 22 Editor Josephine Jabara Feature writer THE GOOD SAMARITAN Charlene Koppitz
Fleepit Digital © 2021