Thursday, November 30, 2006
Donors sought to help ailing Peruvian teen
MIAMI (AP) -- A South Florida hospital is seeking donations for the medical care of a Peruvian teenager.
Sixteen-year-old Ricardo Porras' parents sold all their belongings to get him to the U.S. for lifesaving surgery.
Ricardo suffers from an intracranial arteriovenous malformation, which means a lot of blood is pumping into his brain through an abnormal collection of blood vessels.
Doctors at Holtz Children's Hospital say he needs three procedures to reduce the blood flow into the malformed vessels and another surgery to remove the vessels completely.
Ricardo suffers from seizures as a result of the malformation, which could cause permanent neurological damage or death if it hemorrhages.
The hospital's International Kids Fund is seeking $100,000 to continue Ricardo's care.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
