Bring Back Hope

Building on a legacy of hope

Dr. Oheneba Boachie, left, and Dr. Rick Hodes, centre, with patients. The JDC spine program in Ethiopia is seeing patients full-time and has evaluated more than 5,000 patients with spine deformities. (photo from Gary Segal)

The two previous Bring Back Hope events “were vital to getting us to where we are now,” Dr. Rick Hodes, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) medical director for Ethiopia, told the Independent. “They raised interest in our work and the financial gifts we received allowed us to expand, to operate on hundreds more patients, and to become the most important spine centre in the entire country of 120 million.”

Bring Back Hope III will take place Oct. 22 at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver. The event, which was conceived by local businessman and philanthropist Gary Segal, will honour Hodes and raise funds to secure Hodes’ legacy by establishing a dedicated spine centre in Ethiopia and training doctors and medical staff.

Segal met Hodes on a Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver/ JDC trip to Ethiopia in 2007. From Hodes, Segal learned about Tesfaye Anagaw, then a teenager, who had an extreme deformity in his spine that could not be operated on in Africa. Segal managed to get Anagaw the life-saving surgery he needed at Vancouver General Hospital in 2009. The experience inspired Segal to help others in similar circumstances by supporting Hodes’ work. Segal launched the Bring Back Hope Initiative (BBH) in 2012.

It wasn’t intended to be annual event, Segal told the Independent. “As a new cause with its somewhat unique origin, it took some time and thoughtful analysis to deploy the funds in a strategic manner – not just to fund the immediate and ongoing need for life-saving spine deformity surgeries, but also to increase training and capacity within Ethiopia. In addition to BBH working with JDC, the newly established BBH partnership with the UBC Branch for Global Surgical Care was unfolding methodically.

“As a result, the appropriate timing for BBH II just naturally turned out to be a five-year anniversary of the initial launch. With the similarly inspiring and even larger amount of funds raised at BBH II, I would say that, around three years later, the rumblings of a BBH III 10-year anniversary event began running through my head, only to be derailed by a couple of unforeseen ‘best laid plans of mice and men going awry’ events: COVID, followed by an outbreak of civil unrest and war in Ethiopia. So, here we are.”

One of the prominent aspects of Hodes’ work, which has been highlighted at previous BBH events, is the interfaith cooperation.

“It is not exactly a revelation to say that extremism, especially of political and religious beliefs, has historically led to much discord in the world,” said Segal. “In stark contrast, underpinning these BBH events, you have this remarkable story – rare humanitarian Jewish physician Dr. Rick Hodes, partnering with devout Baptist Ghanian-born spine surgeon Dr. [Oheneba] Boachie, working with the Catholic nuns of Mother Teresa mission in Addis Ababa, saving Muslim and Christian children. What an uplifting and powerful example of what interfaith cooperation can achieve.”

photo - From left to right: Dr. Oheneba Boachie, Gary Segal and Dr. Rick Hodes in the clinic office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — From left to right: Dr. Oheneba Boachie, Gary Segal and Dr. Rick Hodes in the clinic office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. *(photo from Gary Segal)*

An important development since the first BBH event is that the Ethiopian Ministry of Health has recognized the importance of the spine program.

Boachie and Hodes have been working together for almost 20 years, having met in 2005.

“In spring of 2006, we sent five patients and one staff person to Accra, Ghana. At the same time, Dr. Boachie and his team arrived from New York, and they operated on our patients and many others,” said Hodes. “The Ethiopian government was not making spine a priority, but now that we are seeing patients full-time and have evaluated well over 5,000 patients with spine deformities, they realize that this is a major cause of disability. They now are in favour of a national spine centre and are working with us to get this done. Their endorsement has shown us, and our donors, that we have ‘buy-in’ from the Ethiopian government.”

While the majority of surgeries took place in Ethiopia this year, Hodes said, “We also send patients to FOCOS Hospital in Ghana and Ganga Hospital in India for traction and for surgery.

“We are sending Ethiopian surgeons to India for training, as well. Over the years, the majority of our difficult surgeries have been performed in Ghana, often preceded by months of ambulatory traction. Having our own centre will allow us to provide better care and to be in control of the process and the facility.”

Currently, they operate in a government hospital as well as in a private Christian hospital, said Hodes, “but we believe that a full-time, 100%-spine centre would provide better care to Ethiopians suffering from spine issues.

“I am the main doctor in the clinic, but, in the end, this must be a program run by Ethiopians for Ethiopians,” he stressed. “A national spine centre will allow this to happen. This means having a dedicated facility, as well as fully trained Ethiopian physicians, nurses, physical therapists and others to be able to evaluate, treat, operate on and rehabilitate our patients. It is a great opportunity to provide great care to our patients, and I would love to find an Ethiopian doctor to direct it.”

Hodes was in Vancouver more than once this summer, talking about his hopes for the spine program.

“I was here,” he said, “meeting people, speaking about my work and trying to interest people in our activities in Ethiopia, which involve identifying patients, evaluating and treating them, choosing people for surgery, coordinating care and arranging surgeries – and following them afterwards for years,” as care needs don’t end after the surgery is complete.

“The Dr. Rick Hodes/JDC spine program – over the last 20 years, part of JDC’s tikkun olam non-sectarian work – has not only saved and transformed countless lives, but has also served as an inspiring example and message to both the Jewish and non-Jewish world,” said Segal, who has been on the JDC board since 2012.

Hodes has been recognized for his work in various ways. Most recently, he was given the 2024 Walter P. Blount Award by the Scoliosis Research Society, whose membership “includes over 1,000 of the world’s leading spine surgeons, researchers, physician assistants and orthotists who are involved in research and treatment of spinal deformities.” The award honours “an individual who has provided outstanding service for those with spinal deformities, through their generous actions out of a sense of service to larger social and professional goals.”

Segal and others have called Hodes “tireless” in his humanitarian work.

“I am surrounded by suffering, and it is my challenge to deal with this daily, to provide compassionate care and to raise funds for all of this,” Hodes told the Independent. “I realize that I can only help a small percent of the people who seek my care, and have to deal with that. I am motivated by my goal of helping people for whom there is no other alternative. It’s not easy. I lose sleep over this. It is never-ending.”

Hodes will return to Vancouver for BBB III. Also attending, said Segal, will be “Tesfaye, with his wife and son (whom I can’t wait to meet for the first time); two other patients whose lives were transformed through the Dr. Rick Hodes/JDC spine program; some JDC professionals from the USA, Israel and Ethiopia; and a senior Ministry of Health individual. There is also a special entertainment surprise with its own unique story and link to the evening.”

For tickets to BBH III, visit bringbackhope.com.

Bringing hope, saving lives

Right to left: Peter Legge interviews Dr. Rick Hodes and Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei. Three of Hodes’ adopted children joined them onstage. (photo by Cynthia Ramsay)

An Evening to Bring Back Hope on June 8 raised almost $2 million for the work of Dr. Rick Hodes, medical director of Ethiopia for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and senior consultant at Mother Teresa Mission; spine surgeon Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, president and founder of FOCOS (Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine) in Ghana; and the University of British Columbia Branch for International Surgical Care.

photo - Bring Back Hope co-chairs Nanci and Gary Segal — Bring Back Hope co-chairs Nanci and Gary Segal. *(photo by Cynthia Ramsay)*

The evening at Vancouver Convention Centre-East began with remarks from representatives of the three main religious communities in attendance: Jewish, Christian and Muslim. A two-minute video that was introduced by Justin Segal – son of gala co-chairs Gary and Nanci Segal – and Tesfaye Anagaw – who has become a part of the Segal family – showed the many things that had been accomplished with the funds raised at the previous Evening to Bring Back Hope, which took place in 2012.

There were greetings from senior representatives of JDC, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the UBC Branch, as well as an onstage interview by Peter Legge of Hodes and Boachie-Adjei, with many stories about the courage of their patients.

Gary Segal spoke about how he was inspired to help by Anagaw, Hodes and Boachie-Adjei. He met first met Hodes as part of a 2007 Federation/JDC trip to Ethiopia, where he learned that Anagaw’s spine had collapsed from tuberculosis and could not be operated on in Ghana. With the help of the Segals and others, the young man, then 18, arrived here in mid-2009 and received the life-saving surgery he needed at Vancouver General Hospital.

photo - Rick Hansen, left, and Tesfaye Anagaw — Rick Hansen, left, and Tesfaye Anagaw. *(photo by Cynthia Ramsay)*

The story of Mesfin Yanna, one of Hodes’ heart patients, was told through a video and the reading of an essay he wrote for his high school graduation in Atlanta – these were followed by his appearance onstage, holding his 5-year-old son. “This is a man who would have died twice were it not for Rick but has gone onto a productive life and one of giving back,” said Segal after the event.

Looking back, he said the event achieved his main goals: raising a large sum of money to support Hodes’ work and save as many lives as possible, to “inspire everyone in the room and, for at least that one night, bring a ray of light into an often-dark world filled with unfathomable violence and infuse people with a message of hope for our common humanity.”

Both Hodes (with three of his adopted sons) and Anagaw came to Vancouver from Ethiopia for the event, and stayed for a visit.

Continuing to bring hope

Fantaye, Gary Segal and Tesfaye in 2015, on a return visit by Segal to Gojam, Ethiopia. (photo from Gary Segal)

Thirty-seven spine surgeries, six nursing/midwifery scholarships, development of Sebi Sarko Rural Health Centre and the establishment of a pediatric program reaching more than 14,000 children living in rural areas. That’s part of what has been accomplished with the $1 million-plus that was raised in Vancouver five years ago at An Evening to Bring Back Hope.

The 2012 event honoured Dr. Rick Hodes, medical director of Ethiopia for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and senior consultant at Mother Teresa Mission. It also established a partnership between JDC in Ethiopia and the University of British Columbia Branch for International Surgical Care. With the monies raised in 2012, UBC Branch has developed curriculum with Hodes and engaged in spine-disease research in Ethiopia; as well, there have been physician and nurse exchanges between UBC-Vancouver General Hospital and Ethiopia’s Gondar Hospital.

This year, on June 8, An Evening to Bring Back Hope honours both Hodes and spine surgeon Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, and raises funds for the continuation and expansion of their work, as well as that of JDC and UBC Branch. Boachie, president and founder of FOCOS (Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine) in Accra, Ghana, has performed most of the complex surgeries on Hodes’ spine patients since the two doctors starting working together in 2006.

The fundraising event includes a symposium and lunch at Congregation Beth Israel, at which attendees will be able to ask JDC staff questions about JDC’s humanitarian work and philanthropy, and a gala dinner at Vancouver Convention Centre-East. Event partners are JDC, UBC Branch and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. As in 2012, gala chairs are Gary and Nanci Segal.

“I am very pleased that Dr. Boachie will also be a focus of attention at the event,” Gary Segal told the Independent. Hodes, an observant Jew, and Boachie, a devout Baptist, “together work tirelessly to treat the sick and poor of all religions and ethnicities.”

“I truly believe that in today’s world filled with negativity, intolerance and discord, this cause and message of inclusion and multiculturalism resonates louder than ever,” said Segal.

Segal first met Hodes as part of a Federation/JDC trip to Ethiopia in 2007. He spent more time with Hodes on a family trip in 2008. “The more time I spent with Rick in clinic and at his home with his very large family of adopted and fostered children that all needed Rick’s help, the more heroic and inspiring Rick and his life story became to me,” said Segal. When hosting Hodes and his extended family of 18 children (at the time) for dinner, Segal learned that Tesfaye – whose spine had collapsed from tuberculosis – could not be operated on in Ghana, and thought, “I knew that I had to do whatever I could to save Tesfaye’s life.”

According to the fundraiser’s website, Segal “spent almost a year pursuing the possibility of bringing Tesfaye to Vancouver for spine surgery and, finally, on his 18th birthday, May 20, 2009, Tesfaye arrived in Vancouver and was welcomed into the Segal home. On June 12, ‘Team Tesfaye,’ led by surgeon Dr. Marcel Dvorak at VGH … successfully perform[ed] delicate 14-hour life-saving surgery.”

“For decades,” Segal told the Independent, “I have always given of my time and money to help a variety of community organizations and causes – I grew up with wonderful examples of this in both my mother and father. Helping Tesfaye was a unique experience, where the ‘giving back’ became such an intimate, personal and integral part of my life.

“On my 2010 trip back to Ethiopia after Tesfaye’s surgery, I retraced and revisited what his life was like before surgery. Understanding Tesfaye’s courage, dignity, perseverance and optimism – that he kept in the direst, most uncomfortable and debilitating of situations – motivates and inspires me daily, and always keeps my problems in perspective.

“Seeing the transformation in Tesfaye’s life and what it has meant to his family and entire village, further inspired me to found this Bring Back Hope initiative,” he continued. “One of the highlights of my life was that 2010 trip to Tesfaye’s remote village in Gojam – a typical village with mud huts, no electricity or running water – as the entire village celebrated his miraculous rebirth for three days, with feasting, chanting and Agew shoulder dancing. Seeing ‘up close and personal’ the impact of changing even one individual’s life, it became my vision to introduce Rick’s story to more people by holding a large dinner of caring people from different faiths and backgrounds, and to hopefully raise a lot of money to change more lives. Thus, the Bring Back Hope initiative was launched through the inaugural Evening to Bring Back Hope 2012.”

But his efforts extend beyond the events. “I never imagined before meeting Tesfaye that, one day, I would have a whole extended family in Ethiopia become part of my family,” he said.

It was hoped that Tesfaye’s sister, Fantaye, would be joining her brother at this year’s Bring Back Hope. Unfortunately, she won’t be able to make it – but for “good news” reasons, said Segal, “as she is about to graduate from Grade 12 at a high school in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa and the national exams she has to write to qualify for university only end on June 8.”

“I met Fantaye in February of 2010,” explained Segal, “when I flew over to Ethiopia to accompany Tesfaye on the journey out to his remote village in Gojam to be with him to experience his family and village seeing him standing upright for the first since he was crippled with TB of the spine at 8 years of age…. Tesfaye, living in the capital Addis Ababa since he was 12, heard that his mother wanted Fantaye to get married; he was concerned she was too young, being only 12 years old, and feared the husband’s family would force her, once she was married, to stop going to the village school. At his request, I asked his mother, Yeshi, to wait until Fantaye was older and completed school, but, sure enough, she was married a few months later, at the age of 12.”

When Segal returned to Ethiopia in December 2012 on a Bring Back Hope-related trip, he found, to his “surprise and delight,” that, “through Tesfaye’s persistence and insistence, Fantaye had left her husband and village to join her brother in Addis Ababa and live with him and go back to school. This took a lot of courage on the part of a then 14-year-old girl, going against the wishes of her family and entire village. At the same time, it took Tesfaye’s courage of conviction as to what was right for his sister for this to happen; I attribute this to Tesfaye understanding the greater world outside the village and Fantaye seeing the transformation of Tesfaye.”

Even after 27 years working with JDC in Ethiopia, Hodes still finds inspiration from his patients.

“The courage which Ethiopians live with who have spinal deformities is simply inspiring,” Hodes told the Independent. “Kids who are in pain but still go to school, kids who are teased at school but persist, kids who have no parents and are self-supporting as young teens but go to school and come for treatment.

“And the love which they show for each other is exemplary. I have a single mom who has a paralyzed son who has simply devoted her entire day – every day – to caring for this boy, who is now improving. In fact, I just brought him to Ghana five days ago for intensive physical therapy to see if we can jump-start his improvement.

“I bought a bag of cookies for a young boy with a bad back. He put them in his pocket. ‘Why don’t you eat it?’ I asked. ‘Later,’ he said, ‘I want to share it with my brother.’

“I have another mom who has a son who had a complex heart problem giving him very little oxygen. This boy could not walk more than three steps and the mom has made sure that he moves forward in life by carrying him, piggy-back, everywhere. She carried him to school, carries him home, brought him to Addis Ababa every month for phlebotomy, to remove the extra blood his body produces. And now he’s able to walk, after corrective heart surgery in India.

“I had an orphan boy with no relatives at all,” continued Hodes. “He came to Addis Ababa, supported himself by shining shoes, went to school and slept in a taxi at night until someone took him into their home. He, too, has had surgery and is now back in school.

“When I’m having a tough day – I frequently feel overwhelmed – it’s patients like this who keep me going, and remind me why I’m here.”

Hodes’ International Life-Saving Surgery Program 2016 annual report describes that year as “game-changing.”

“This was the first year that the Ethiopian government gave us support – they paid for the air tickets of 22 patients to Ghana for spine surgery,” explained the doctor. “They are continuing the air ticket support this year.”

Also in 2016, he said, “Our contract with the Ethiopian government ended its standard, three-year period and the program closed for evaluation. It was given an unprecedented five-year renewal.

“We have moved into new facilities at a government trauma hospital called AaBET [Addis Ababa Burn Emergency Medicine and Trauma] Hospital, where we see patients five days a week. We have started discussions to send two Ethiopian doctors to Canada for spine training. We now have several teams coming to Ethiopia to operate – in fact, we have three different spine teams coming this month, and will get at least 40 surgeries done inside Ethiopia!”

In addition to treatments, there have been discoveries. “We have described some new deformities, which we are now defining with Greek letters,” said Hodes. And, he added, “We believe we’ve made a major discovery about spine deformities caused by neurofibromatosis.”

In 2016, Hodes said there were 359 new spine patients, with 111 surgeries conducted on 105 patients. “We got two spines done in the U.S., and helped two patients go to India for heart care,” he said. “So far this year, we have 101 new spine patients.”

Hodes said the price for spinal surgeries ranges from $13,000 (or a little less) to $21,000, averaging about $18,000. For hearts, he said, “some patients need procedures (done in the catheterization laboratory) where a balloon is blown up to expand a narrowed valve or close a hole in the wall of the heart. Those cost around $2,000. Surgery costs depend on the complexity of the case, and generally run from $5,000-$10,000.

“If we get surgery done in North America, it’s at no cost to us, other than an air ticket. We just had two boys return from complicated surgery in Texas, and another from California.”

Hodes stressed, “I cannot sufficiently thank the people of Vancouver who are helping me. Their help is, quite literally, life-saving.”

For tickets to the gala ($500, with tax receipts issued for eligible portion) and sponsorship information, call Mercedes Dunphy at 604-710-4491 or Nanci Segal at 604-813-5550. For more information on the initiative, visit bringbackhope.com.