LYNNWOOD — It all started with just one email.
A world away— one friend to another asked for help for a young woman teacher, Olga Khlodova, whose life of horror started four years ago when bandits broke into her family’s apartment in Khabarovsk, Russia. They murdered her husband in front of her and then beat and tortured Olga so badly that she lost one eye and was left paralyzed. Her then 4-year-old daughter, Misha, witnessed all of it and sat with her dead father and dying mother for hours before aid crews arrived. Olga had been in so much pain she hadn’t been able to eat, sit up or hold her own daughter in her arms until just a few weeks ago.
Because of the huge network of people in Rotary, the email from Rotarian Dr. Andrei Vasenyov in Russia to Lynnwood Rotarian Chuck O’Brien from Mill Creek (who speaks fluent Russian) then made it to several others, who told someone they knew—and so on—and so on. And within a few hours the doctor and O’Brien were in contact with officials at Medtronic, a company in Minneapolis which developed a eurostimulator, something that could be implanted into Olga’s brain that would reduce her severe chronic pain, O’Brien said. While just the device would normally cost $23,000, Medtronic donated the device and then because of more networking and support from around the world, the actual surgery that was done in Moscow was also donated with help from many different people and organizations, O’Brien said.
“We learned that Medtronic is a compassionate organization and their willingness to help was truly remarkable,” O’Brien said. “This is how Rotary works we are a family.”
Just in the last couple weeks, Olga’s life has changed for the better because of these two friends and the networking ability of Rotary.
A few weeks after the string of emails, Olga underwent brain surgery for bi-lateral stimulation of deep brain structures. The intra operatively test was positive and a doctor implanted a Kinetra eurostimulator, O’Brien said.
“While she is still in the intensive care unit, she was able to sit up and hold her daughter Misha for the first time in three years,” O’Brien said with tears in his eyes, “All the doctors involved in the case are calling the operation a success.”
While the Lynnwood Rotary did gather $1,000 to help in Olga’s recovery, it was just an email that made this great help come through, O’Brien said. Dr. Vasenyov visited the Lynnwood Rotary at their lunch meeting on March 27 and shared with them Olga’s story and thanked them, especially O’Brien for their efforts in helping her. The Lynnwood Rotary presented him with the check at the luncheon.
“When you need help, you just reach out to your network of Rotary,” O’Brien said.
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