I am writing to you on behalf of my friends, Eteri and Guram Kotolashvili, who's baby Tina (born June 30 1999) has brachial plexus injury as a result of congenital trauma. I would like to inform you that the family lives in Georgia (former Soviet Union), where the sphere of pediatric neurosurgery has not been studied at all. There are surgeons who study that sphere theoretically, but they don't have any practical experience.

The family is in critical situation now as the baby is already 5 months old and it's known that the surgical treatment is effective only at the age of 4-6 months. Tina's parents have tried all possible ways in Georgia to raise funds necessary to the operation and their travel to theb United States. They applied to the Government or other organizations, but nobody was found able to help the baby since the country itself is in extremely heavy economic crisis now.

In this regard, I would like to ask you whether there is any charity program operated in the United States providing assistance in the above cases, or any clinics providing free surgical treatment to the infants in acute need.

Hoping on your cordiality, I kindly ask you to give your prompt reply, as the time flies ... and Tina is already 5 months old. Thank you, in advance.

Please send your answer to the address: lelatbi@hotmail.com;
or directly to my friend: guram@geo.net.ge
Thank you, inadvance.

Yours sincerely,

Lela Nanuashvili
Graduate student
Graduate School of Library
and Information Science
Simmons College
Boston MA