A four-year-old boy born deaf and without ears has become one of the Shriners’ “miracle children,” and is now receiving top-quality care at a leading hospital in Montreal, Canada.
The parents of Christian de la Cruz have struggled to deal with the problems that their newborn child presented. Fredy, the father, worked as a cook at an Italian restaurant in Ajijic but decided it was best to stay at home, close to his wife and child.
With limited financial resources, they established the Foccasio restaurant in San Juan Tecomatlan. Hardworking and dedicated to the care of their child, they managed to build a business that has drawn the respect of the community.Before Christian was two years old, he drew the attention of local Shriners. Graham Paull and his wife Sheila, along with Noble Dick Crabtree, noted that Christian had a problem. So Lady Sheila went on a relentless quest to find the best care possible for Christian.
While attending an international gathering of Shriners in North Carolina, she saw a case study of a child similar to Christian.
The Paulls wrote to the Montreal Shriners Hospital for Children stating Christian’s case and, miraculously they say, he was accepted for treatment under the care of Dr. Lucy Lessard, a leading specialist in her field.
Christian and his family have begun their odyssey to Montreal with the Paulls and members of several Shrine Temples in Canada. All children accepted into the Shriners Hospital program are cared for until the age of 21, so it is expected that Christian will finally receive the gift of hearing.
The Paulls and the Lakeside Shrine community say they want to thank all the generous sponsors who came forward in their support of Christian. They especially appreciate the help of Westjet, Al Azhar Shriners of Calgary, Khartum Shriners of Winnipeg, Karnak Shriners of Montreal and all the Shriners at Lake Chapala for a “great job, well done.”
Shriners Hospitals for Children are a non-profit fraternity. They have built and operate 22 hospitals in their system in Canada, the United States and Mexico and are the leaders in the world for burn and orthopedic research. The Shiners Hospital in Mexico City treats up to 5,000 children each month and each of those children has to be transported from their communities to the hospital.