Special Report: Gift of Life
Her young life has been anything but carefree.Burns scar her body and restrict the use of her hands, but as News 13's Jay Siltzer explains in this special Health Alert, one mountain community has come together to provide a 3-year-old girl the Gift of Life.Though they aren't walking alone, the journey from the Philippines to the United States for 3-year-old Princess Malapitan and her mother, Dina, hasn't been easy physically or emotionally.Dina Malapitan, Princess' mother, I blame myself because of what happened, but the people tell me that is not my fault. It was just an accident.Now in Hendersonville, the mother and daughter have met with plastic surgeon William Overstreet. He aims through surgery to improve the youngster's hand function and reduce overall scarring from a house fire started by a candle in the child's room in 2011.Eileen Decarle, RN, BSN, Pardee Surgical Director, it's taken years to get to this point and get her over here.Dina, I hope her face that burned will get its natural look and her hands will function.A little more waiting is no big deal for the pair, the latest foreign participants in rotary's gift of life program. Rotary identified the medical need and Philippine Airlines and Mercy Medical Airlift donated the flights. Now, Pardee offers the care while a host family provides food and lodging.Joe Dwyer, Malapitans' host, it's a blessing for us to open up our home, which is His and be able to use it for His glory, that's the reward.Rose Dwyer, Malapitans' host, when you see that the end result, it's worth the time and the sacrifice, to be part of and change course of a child's life.Eileen, I think she will have full movement and everything, it's just scar tissue takes a long time to heal.Harry Lewis, Rotary Club Gift of Life, I consider it a blessing to be able to help this child to have a new lease on life and become a productive member of society.The first surgery is just over a week away, with at least one other procedure after that.Princess and Dina are expected to remain in the mountains until at least August for follow-up care that is expected to include physical therapy.If you would like to contribute to the Gift of Life program, you can call 828 329-1653.
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WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.
May Commencement 2017 UNC Asheville
At a commencement ceremony highlighted by remarks from leading climate scientist and alumna Ko Barrett, and by physics and math double-major Dylan Cromer, members of UNC Asheville’s Class of 2017 received their degrees with thousands of loved ones cheering at Kimmel Arena in the Sherrill Center.
Chancellor Mary K. Grant presided and presented honorary degrees to Barrett and three leaders in their fields – pediatrician Dr. Olson Huff, M.D., woodturner and sculptor Stoney Lamar, and Cherokee elder and Beloved Woman Ellen Bird – in recognition of their contributions to Western North Carolina.
The 86th Annual Spring Commencement, May 2014
The 86th annual Spring Commencement ceremony at The University of North Carolina Asheville. Higher education expert and author of Generation on a Tightrope: A Portrait of Today's College Student, Arthur Levine delivers the address. The president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and former president of Teachers College at Columbia University receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. Honorary degrees also are awarded to Southern Jewish historian, Eli Evans, and posthumously awarded to civil rights activist Franklin McCain.