You may not remember his name, but if you watch the news, you’ll
know that 21 year old Chris Bowman is the young man with the rare vascular tumour
that’s wrapped around his chest area. Well his cause was taken up by philanthropist
Emilio Zabaneh, Bowman was taken to the United States where his condition has
been assessed as very rare, perhaps even singular. Now he’s in Dallas
and as he did many times in Belize, he made the news there yesterday. Here’s
the story of what’s happening with him there and what’s happening
with his family over here
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
We first showed you Chris Bowman in 2006, this is how his tumour looked. Since
then his plight has attracted the attention of philanthropists and now he’s
in Dallas Texas, where he made the news last night.
[Seeing Chris Bowman in church it is hard to believe someone so vocal
can be so soft spoken.
Chris Bowman,
“The Lord has brought me here so I know he will do more as long as I pray
and put my trust in him.”
The 21 year old is counting on a prayer and a medical miracle and he
will need to do both to clear a blood tumour that if left untreated will ultimately
kill him. The tumour is the size of a basketball. It continues to grow from
his chest, through his side, and out his back and it is preventing him from
taking care of his family.”
Chris Bowman,
“I need to do work because I take care of my mom ever since I was a kid
growing up.”
His blood tumour has grown from the size of a fist to its current size.
It is so big, doctors in his home country won’t touch it.
Chris Bowman,
“I want to come here to get well, that is all I need.”
Doctors at Parkland Hospital and UT Southwestern may try to catharize
with an electrical wire however nothing has been set in stone, mainly because
cost. But the clock is ticking because the tumour is starting to press against
Christopher’s lung.]
But what the story doesn’t say is that doctors in Dallas – who
will volunteer their services will still need a million dollars to perform as
many as twenty procedures on this condition called haemangioma – the largest
tumour of its kind that the doctors in Dallas have ever seen.
Odessa Orosco, Chris’s Mother
“I never know that my son surgery would cost so much, US$1 million.
I don’t have that kind of money and that is why I asked for help.”
And the biggest help this mother needs is with her conditions in Belize because
as sick as he was Chris Bowman was the family’s breadwinner.
Odessa Orosco,
“From my son small, from my son ten years old my son has been taking
care of me.”
And for this mother, the problems are endless; she worries about her own poverty
stricken plight, her 15 year old daughter who is not in school, and she worries
about her son.
Odessa Orosco,
“When he show me those things on his chest, I cry and then when he
tells me don’t touch it because when he lifts up his shirt and he shows
me, it looks, I can’t explain right how it looks but it looks frightenous.
I would just want see my son face to face like how I am seeing you right now
Jules and I want to just hug me son, hug him and don’t let him go because
I just want to go back to my son. When I get back to my son, then I will be
at ease because he is over there worrying about me and I am over here worrying
about him. Two of us are worrying about each other.”
And while he needs possibly as many as 20 procedures – the first
one should take him out of critical medical condition. Those wishing to contribute
to his cause can donate to an account at the Holy Redeemer Credit Union called
the ”Help Christopher Bowman Fund” – account number 61025.
Those wishing to help his mother with her problems can call 600 – 6768.
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