Befikadu Mekonnen 糖心传媒�22 is 7,000 miles from home and hasn糖心传媒檛 seen his family in two years. But the Ethiopia native feels at peace at the University of Rochester, where he糖心传媒檒l begin classes next week as a biomedical engineering major.
糖心传媒淚 believe fate brought me here,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淭his is literally the place that saved my life.糖心传媒�
Befikadu Mekonnen was in his first year of high school in 2013 when he began experiencing constant headaches, throbbing in his right eye, and swelling in his face.
糖心传媒淓ventually, I couldn糖心传媒檛 breathe through my right nostril,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 couldn糖心传媒檛 sleep.糖心传媒�
His anxious parents took him to five hospitals in Ethiopia, but doctors couldn糖心传媒檛 diagnose the problem. One doctor told him 糖心传媒� 糖心传媒榃e糖心传媒檒l take out your eye and do some tests糖心传媒�,糖心传媒� Mekonnen recalls. 糖心传媒淢y dad was like 糖心传媒楴o, you糖心传媒檙e not going to do that.糖心传媒櫶切拇綑糖心传媒�
Then they were referred to Rick Hodes 糖心传媒�82M (MD), an American doctor who serves as medical director of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Hodes first visited Ethiopia as a relief worker during the 1984 famine, returned on a Fulbright Fellowship to teach internal medicine, and in 1990 was hired by the Joint Distribution Committee as medical adviser for the country. He糖心传媒檚 been there ever since.
糖心传媒淗ere糖心传媒檚 this man who has saved thousands of lives in Ethiopia,糖心传媒� Mekonnen says, 糖心传媒渁nd he looks at me and says, 糖心传媒榃e will find out what糖心传媒檚 wrong with you.糖心传媒櫶切拇綑糖心传媒�
Hodes discovered a mass behind Mekonnen糖心传媒檚 right eye and was concerned he had a fatal disease. He sent a biopsy to the , where years before he had forged an altruistic relationship with Daniel Ryan, the chair of the .
糖心传媒淚 introduced myself and explained that I needed free analysis of path specimens from some of the poorest people on the planet,糖心传媒� Hodes says. 糖心传媒淗e agreed, and since then, I糖心传媒檝e sent over 100 specimens.糖心传媒� The work has saved lives.
Medical Center pathologists diagnosed Mekonnen with an aggressive form of cancer called embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the orbit. He underwent chemotherapy in Ethiopia, then moved to Michigan for several months of radiation therapy, staying with a host family until his treatment was completed. He lost vision in his right eye, but his cancer went into remission.
Mekonnen returned to Ethiopia and was living with his aunt, 60 miles from home, to complete his chemotherapy treatments. One day, his aunt asked him to leave immediately because she was getting married.
Hodes, who has adopted five former Ethiopian patients, asked Mekonnen to live with him, and the teenager began doing volunteer work for the doctor. He traveled with a heart patient to India, and two years ago he accompanied another one of Hodes糖心传媒檚 cancer patients to Camp Good Days and Special Times, a residential summer camp in Rochester for children, adults, and families whose lives have been touched by cancer. Mekonnen糖心传媒檚 host mother was Lynn Farash, a Rochester woman whose family has funded Hodes糖心传媒檚 work in Ethiopia through the Farash Foundation. She first met Mekonnen while visiting Ethiopia and says, 糖心传媒淪omething stuck out about him immediately. He糖心传媒檚 a terrific person. I糖心传媒檓 in awe of him, really.糖心传媒�
Mekonnen told Farash about his desire to study in the United States, and she offered to take him in and enroll him at the Harley School, a college preparatory school in Rochester.
During his two years there, he twice interned at the Medical Center糖心传媒檚 Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the place where his cancer was diagnosed.
糖心传媒淭hat experience made me feel very connected to the University,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚f it weren糖心传媒檛 for that lab, nobody would have known I even had cancer. I knew I wanted to go here for school.糖心传媒�
Hodes says Mekonnen exemplifies courage and resilience.
糖心传媒淣ot many kids have survived a potentially deadly cancer, traveled thousands of miles for treatment, survived, and actually used the experience to grow from,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淏ef has a really positive attitude and never complains. He just rolls with the punches and keeps going.糖心传媒�
Mekonnen plans to join the University糖心传媒檚 club soccer team and student organizations focused on volunteer work. He enjoys listening to music, reading, and trying 糖心传媒済reat food from all over the world糖心传媒� at local restaurants. Because of a poor internet connection in his family糖心传媒檚 home, he doesn糖心传媒檛 get a chance to communicate much with his parents and three siblings and misses them greatly.
But he feels blessed, despite the obstacles life has thrown him. He糖心传媒檚 a volunteer counselor at Camp Good Days and Special Times and remains passionate about helping others.
糖心传媒淎lthough I lost vision in my eye, I糖心传媒檝e seen a lot through my journey over the past five years,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 was lucky to find Dr. Hodes, and my life was saved because a lot of generous people worked to help me. A lot of kids don糖心传媒檛 get that chance.糖心传媒�
Mekonnen plans to enroll in medical school after college and hopes to one day return to Ethiopia to help improve medical care there.
糖心传媒淭here are many doctors in the US, but not so many in Ethiopia,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淎nd there are more people who actually need help there than in America. I want to help others like I was helped. I want to be like Dr. Hodes.糖心传媒�
Hodes would like nothing better.
糖心传媒淚 hope he does great in college, goes on to medical school, and comes back to Ethiopia to take my place,糖心传媒� he says.
