Last year Dr. Rick Hodes, who works with Ethiopian children who suffer from tuberculosis of the spine and whose story is told in Making the Crooked Straight, won the Moving Mountains Prize. His medical program was awarded $5,000, and with it he was able to help a young patient named Meiraf. Meiraf attended this year’s festival, and read a moving letter to a full crowd at the Palm Theatre. It’s another example of what we call the Domino Effect of Mountainfilm; using inspiration to truly make positive change.

For those of you that missed it, here is Meiraf’s entire letter:

Last November, I left Ethiopia for the first time in my life. With no mother or father beside me, I was taken to Ghana for spinal surgery. As my body lay flat on the surgeon’s table, I remember seeing giant machines all around me. I had never seen such machines, and started feeling scared. But the medical team reminded me, that I was in good hands, and of how this surgery was going to be my second chance at life. Confident, I counted backwards from ten, and then found myself feeling sleepy, because I couldn’t hear the clash of instruments, that would soon be cutting through my back.

My name is Meiraf Atanafu. I grew up with a deep love for education, but school was not my favorite place. You see, I did not look like the other kids in my school, and they reminded me of this, every single day.

Getting teased by my classmates was not easy to ignore. The kids would laugh at me and say: “Aren’t you ashamed to be at school like this?”  And they would call me horrible names, and the worst name of all was: “Gobata”. Gobata means big backed. I hate that name so much, because each morning as I would dress, I couldn’t help but stare at my reflection in the mirror, and wonder if that short girl, with funny fitted clothes, staring back at me, was really, just a Gobata?

Wasn’t it enough for them, that when I played hide and seek, I would always lose? Wasn’t it enough that when I’d get close to tag my friends, I needed to stop, and wait for my lungs to catch up? And wasn’t it enough for them, that I was tired of going from doctor to doctor, only to hear the words: “ A cure like this, is not possible in Ethiopia”?

But that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst was, having to see the sadness in my father’s eyes, when we this. But in my eyes, my father became my hero. Ever since I was born with scoliosis, he made it his mission to find me a cure. Keeping our fingers crossed we visited almost every doctor in Addis Ababa, my home country. But no miracle came our way.

Because I wasn’t popular in school, I learned to appreciate the few friends I had. And even though, the teasing in school didn’t stop, I still felt lucky, because I grew up with a family that showed me so much love. My favorite part of the day was bedtime. When my mother would tuck my little brother Nahom and I, into our shared mattress. She would read us the most magical kind of stories. My favorite, of course, was the story of Cinderella.

I loved hearing Cinderella’s story, because I felt that we were very alike. Just like Cinderella’s stepsisters, would make her feel bad and make her feel not important. I too, shared her pain, when the children in my class made fun of me. But one night, the sisters were invited to a beautiful ball in the Kingdom, and as usual Cinderella was forbidden to go, because as her sisters would say, “a maid has no place in a ball”.

But that night, Cinderella met her magical fairy Godmother! The Godmother, understood Cinderella’s pain, and even though Cinderella didn’t know it, her life would be changed forever. A magical spell was then cast, turning her into the most beautiful girl ever.

Suddenly, she was introduced into a whole new world. A world, where maids could become princesses, a world where people have second chances in life, and a world, filled with beautiful miracles. Like Cinderella, I too found a miracle. My miracle happened, the day that I met Dr. Rick, who also turned out to be my own magical fairy Godfather!

My family and I heard all kinds of stories about an American doctor making miracles for people like me. This doctor was saving the lives of scoliosis patients, by magically turning their crooked spines into straight ones.

Soon after, my father and I went to find Dr. Rick, and we found him working at the Mother Teresa Clinic for the JDC. When we were called into his office, I remember him sitting in his chair, and scribbling down a bunch of words on paper. Magical spells, I thought.

With his glasses to his nose, he turned around, smiled at me, and shook my little hand. My little hand went up and down, up and down, again and again. He asked me what my name was, and I said Meiraf. Then he asked me what my fathers name was, I said Atanafu, and then, what my grandfathers name was, so I said Alemu, and then, what my great- grandfathers name was, and I said, “I don’t know?” and he said who is: “I don’t know?” I looked up at him, confused, and then we just both started laughing.

3 months later, Dr. Rick, called my father and told him, that a generous group of people from the Mountain-film of Teluride, raised $5000 to send me to Ghana for spine surgery. I couldn’t believe it! It was the happiest day of my life!

And yet, I had so many questions: Like, why was I chosen? And if I one day had the chance to thank them, what would I say? Well, here I am, today, and I wanted to say: Thank you!

Thank you, for saving my life, and thank you, for giving me a second chance.  But now that I stand before you, I feel that these words are not enough, and I don’t think that they ever will be. So instead, I will make a promise to you.

I promise to use my second chance at life to educate myself to become the best scoliosis specialist in all of Ethiopia. I promise to help children, like me, who don’t have money for surgeries, and who are waiting on miracles, just as I was. I can promise to do this, because your gift has opened me up to a world where anything is possible! Please continue helping more children like me. Thank you!

Image: Jennifer Koskinen

From Rick Hodes:

Hi David,

Mieraf has gained at least 6 inches, and is a bit frail, but easily
walking and doing well. I anticipate that with a return to her family,
cooler temperatures and more familiar food, she will do really well. I
keep them out of school for several months after surgery, so she will
have time to read on her own and walk longer distances every week.

I will see her tomorrow for a more thorough exam, and post-op photos
and xrays, so that I can have a post-surgery baseline.

Many thanks!

Best wishes for a great year,

Rick

A picture of Mieraf from the back, pre-surgery.

A group shot of fellow spine surgery patients. She is fourth from the left with the glasses. You can see from the reverse picture (below) how dramatically different her spine is.

The 2008 festival was particular Domino-liscious. This story is the first of several examples of Mountainfilm’s direct positive impact on the world, stemming from the 2008 festival, that I will be posting on the blog in the coming weeks. For more Mountainfilm Domino Effect stories click on the Domino Effect category to the right.

THE MOMENT: Sylvia Johnson is a young filmmaker who was granted a fellowship in Brazil to chronicle the lives of poor kids who lived in slums in Brazil. Mountainfilm is one of the first film festivals to accept her short film, Alagados, which profiles Renato, an ex-criminal who chooses to defy the stereotype and engage in the active development of his own identity. A photography series called The Alagados Project, which puts cameras into the hands of some of Brazil’s most underprivileged and challenged young people, is part of the Gallery Walk.

Renato, criminal turned musician. Featured in the MF 2008 film Alagados

THE RESULT: Sylvia’s film and the work of the Alagados Project inspire a MF sponsor to commit $60,000 to the effort, giving the non-profit an enormous financial boost. The Alagados donation, says Johnson, will “put three kids through college and give them a real shot to work their way out of poverty.”

February 1, 2008

Can you remember the last time your DNA experienced a good ole’ fashioned “download”? The sort where it’s as if the “Chef of the Universe” has cooked up some kind of delicious quantum soup, feeding it right into your bones. Where every cell stands at attention calling out “Incoming!” and with that experience your life is forever changed and you just know you are in for a powerful ride ahead. Two such “downloads” have come my way, and one of them happened during the Telluride Mountainfilm festival in 2007! But first the catalyst….

I knew before I flew to Nepal for the first time in October 2006 with Backwoods Adventures to trek to the base camp of Mt. Everest that it would change my life. I just wasn’t sure what form it would take. During the entire trek I felt like I was hovering 5 feet off the ground and long before it was all over I was already visualizing my return and wondering how I could be of support to the amazing people of Nepal. Download #1 successful, off and running!

After returning home I was flipping through the latest National Geographic Adventure magazine and my eye caught the ad for Mountainfilm in Telluride. I immediately called and registered to attend! I had previously lived in Telluride, but never attended the festival, so here was my chance! I knew it would be a great venue to connect with like minded people and those who would know the best way to be of use in Nepal!

As I sat in the audience watching one incredible film after another and hearing the likes of Wade Davis, Paul Hawken and Brot Coburn speak….and so many others over the weekend, I felt as if my DNA had lifted out of my body, acting like a spiraling magnet capturing all the magical gems of the event, and coming alive like a newly decorated Christmas tree plugged in for the first time…in a long time. Download #2 successful, off and galloping at full speed!

As a result of those two experiences, it gave me the courage to ACT on my desire to be of help! Overcoming my usual shyness I introduced myself to Brot Coburn, told him what I was looking for and he said “you should call Liesl” and I did!

Eight months later I am once again in Nepal (right now as you read this!) and this time as a volunteer for the Magic Yeti Children’s Library Project. This amazing endeavor has been launched by 14 year old Phoebe Coburn (Brot Coburn’s daughter), award winning filmmaker Liesl Clark and her husband Everest climber Pete Athans early last year.

With no previous fundraising experience but with a great deal of enthusiasm and “yes I can” attitude I was able to raise $19,367.00 (THREE libraries worth!) in three short months to help contruct and stock libraries for the Magic Yeti Project! And I intend to keep going until I raise my total goal amount of $50,000.00.

But it doesn’t stop there. In late March 2008 I will launch my newly redesigned website www.mteverestmindcamp.com to inspire more people to TAKE ACTION and get involved in something that ignites their passion, their imagination and natural strengths. Each month we will have a featured guest discussing topics such as teamwork, goal setting, philanthropy and outdoor adventure and the value we gain from connecting with the power of “travel”…both in body and mind. From leaders in mountaineering to leaders in psychology, it will be a powerful source for all.

In the meantime you can guarantee that I will be attending the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival in 2008 for more “downloads”! Just look for the girl from Oklahoma wearing a happy smile, running from film to film in between stops at the Steaming Bean!

And if you haven’t yet attended the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival…buy your ticket and start packing!

Namaste!

Stephanie S. Graham