Ep. 135: Bringing Hope To Ethiopian Children with Congenital Diseases
Guest: Dr. Rick Hodes
Dr. Rick Hodes of Addis Ababa is a man on a mission.
His goal is to save the lives of children with horribly twisted spines. The degree of deformity is mind boggling. How can the spine be so corrupted? They’re terrified but they know Dr. Hodes, by reputation, as a kind and caring man.
"My policy is everybody gets seen on the day they come in. The average age is probably about seven or eight and they range from literally two, three weeks old to up into their 50s." And treat them, he does. He transforms their bodies and saves their lives.
Over the past 29 years, Dr. Hodes has relied on the generosity of health care practitioners from around the world, including Vancouver, to bring help and healing to thousands. The work he is doing not only helps those affected, but it is also providing insights into what is possible in the human body.
"We're discovering new deformities that we never knew existed. We have an alpha deformity. We have a gamma deformity. We have a saxophone deformity. It's sort of like spinal deformity on steroids."
