Local charity comes to rescue of Romanian boy
By Jens Dana, Deseret News
Published: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:36 a.m. MDT
SPANISH FORK — A weekend charity auction organized for a 9-year-old Romanian boy, who suffered serious burns in a house fire, drew in more money than its grateful sponsors expected.
With the help of friends and family, Brigham Young University students Ashley and Jessica, both 20, organized a charity auction Saturday night at Primrose Retreat Day Spa in Spanish Fork to raise money to bring Marius to the U.S. for reconstructive surgery.
By the end of the night, the auction raised an estimated $3,200. Subsequent donations following the auction raised another $5,000. Combined with the results of previous charity efforts, the group has raised an estimated $22,000 to benefit Marius.
"We got a lot more than we expected," said Ludlow, a BYU junior from San Diego studying childhood development. "We felt the support from people who came."
Team Marius — Ashley & Jessica's charity group — has secured airfare, and Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles will foot the cost of reconstructive surgeries for Marius' and subsequent procedures. But Ludlow said they still need to cover other costs, including translator fees, travel and housing expenses for Marius and his brother.
In November 2007, Marius woke in the middle of the night to find himself and his home engulfed in flames. He managed to escape through a window, but the blaze left him scarred with burns covering 75 percent of his body, and, worse yet, an orphan.
Romanian doctors amputated Marius' fingers because of the severity of the burns, and they performed skin grafts. But the boy who once flashed a 1,000-watt smile remained severely disfigured. For a month and a half, he lay in St. Maria's Children's Hospital in Iasi, Romania, completely neglected — except for his older brother who traveled four hours by taxi every other week to visit.
Then entered Ashley and Jessica
The two BYU students came to the hospital as part of an internship program through BYU's School of Family Life. They met Marius when they joined a group of fellow students to wish him a happy birthday on Jan. 28. Ahsley said she was hesitant at first because she is "squeamish" around blood.
"I have a really hard time with scenes like that," she said. "He's a bit hard to look at at first."
Jessica, from Mesa, Ariz., also expressed surprise at seeing Marius' mangled face, but that feeling soon passed when she looked into his crystal-blue eyes.
"These bright blue eyes were just staring from a burned little face," she said. "And it really touched me."
After their brief visit, the image of Marius' eyes, along with his cheerful disposition, remained with the two young women, as well as another thought: the bleakness of his future in Romania.
The little remaining skin on Marius' face is tightening, causing his eyes to droop. At night the young boy can't close his eyes to sleep. Doctors told the two that he'll eventually go blind.
Ashley & Jessica decided to do something about it. They recruited their families, who were more than willing to help after seeing photos of Marius, to raise money and research protocol to bring Marius to the States.
Shriners Hospital at Los Angeles accepted Marius for treatment, which he will have to receive until he's 18, and Team Marius hopes to bring him to the U.S. by June or July.
Ashley said she's grateful for the support they've received in this endeavor, as well as the opportunity to help Marius.
"This is just a rare chance we had to reach to someone who doesn't have as much chances as we do," she said.
More information about Marius, Team Marius and ways to contribute can be found at teammarius.org
E-MAIL: jdana@desnews.com
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