Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 13, 1994 TAG: 9403130097
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: SPOTSYLVANIA LENGTH: Medium
Kyer, 57, who heads a group of missionaries to Eastern Europe called Frontline Fellowship, won't take credit for the "miracle" that then happened in Gino Roberto Chira's life, but he's definitely the one who orchestrated it.
"I wish I could claim credit for it, but we have to give the credit to the Lord," he said.
When Corina Chira gave birth Dec. 15, the doctors advised her and her husband, Adi, to take their firstborn home to die.
Gino suffered from spina bifida, a serious fetal defect in which the spinal cord leaves the spinal column, then re-enters, leaving a gaping hole covered only by membrane.
Romanian doctors know how to close the spine, but aren't trained to put in a shunt, a drainage valve that allows fluid that builds up on the brain to drain into the stomach. Ninety-five percent of spina bifida victims need a shunt.
The Chiras had met Kyer, who has been a missionary for 22 years, several times before in Romania. He brought them Bibles before the Iron Curtain fell and delivered food and clothing after the fall of communism.
When the Chiras called him, Kyer began a series of round-the-clock phone calls that spanned two continents and touched embassy officials, airline agents, church members and Romanian families living in America.
After hearing the need for the Chira family to fly to America for emergency surgery, British Air gave them free tickets worth $4,000. When Kyer contacted the University of Virginia's Children's Medical Center in Charlottesville to see what could be done for Gino, the facility agreed to pick up the entire $45,000 tab.
Members of the Faith Baptist Church in Spotsylvania County collected $600 for the family's expenses and showered them with baby gifts. British Air agreed to fly the crib, mattress, car seat and other accessories back to Romania.
A Romanian church in Florida and a family in Chicago each donated $300. A Spotsylvania County car dealership lent a van to take Chira and his cache of baby goods to the airport last week.
With the surgery behind him, Gino is a happy and bubbly baby who has his parents wrapped around his tiny fingers.
His foster grandparents, Kyer and his wife, Myra, are equally captivated. "This little fellow has gotten so close to our hearts; I just love him," Myra Kyer said.
Gino and his mother will stay through April with the Kyers as Corina Chira learns more about the special care he needs.
While the Chiras say a miracle saved their young son, their problems aren't over yet. The couple must have visas ready in case they need to fly Gino back to America for emergency surgery because the follow-up care he requires isn't available in Romania.
Corina Chira, 27, will have to quit her job in a commercial bank to care for Gino. Romanian salaries are low; Gino's father, 25, makes about $50 a month at a government power plant in Timisoara, Romania's second-largest city. Most families need two or three incomes to survive.
In addition, doctors here say Gino will never walk on his own. Because the damage to his spine was so low on his back, doctors believe he'll always need braces or a walker.
His mother doesn't believe that. She's not fluent in English, but her husband said she's sure Gino will prove the doctors wrong again.
Does Gino's father, who works with a youth group at his Romanian church, think his family will witness a second miracle? "Sure. I'm sure God has a special purpose to save him. We don't know what it is."
by CNB