A1plus

| 20:58:02 | 10-05-2005 | Social |

FAMILY FROM CALAMITY ZONE ASKING FOR HELP

The fate of the 15-year-old Vardan Ghoukasyan cannot but touch people’s
hearts. The family of Ghoukasyans who have seen the terrors of the
earthquake can lose their last child. He needs urgent operation. Only 5000
dollars are missing to start it. `A1+’ has started an action to save this
boy. In the Spitak branch of ArmEconomBank accounts have been opened –
163178150153 for USD, 163178150161 for EURO and 163178150179 for AMD. Many
of our compatriots have already responded to the call to help Vardan. But
the necessary sum has not been collected. We think that by joint effort we
can soothe the pain of the family from Spitak and save Vardan. We thank all
those who were not indifferent to the pain of the family from the calamity
zone.

The boy in the picture is one of the many children born in post-earthquake
Spitak to soothe the pain after the earthquake. 15-year-old Vardan Ghukasyan
knows his elder brother who died in the disastrous earthquake of December 7,
1988, at the age of 14, only by photos.

Vardan grew up with his other brother, but this did not last long either.
The other elder brother went to serve in the army and three months before
coming on May 18, 1998 was killed in Karabakh by Azeris. From the three sons
only one remained in the Ghukasyan family.

After a recent investigation the doctors learned that the boy has the
illness called `glomerulonephritis’, and the family learned that soon they
will lose their last child. The two kidneys of the child are quickly losing
the ability to perform their function. Living in temporary houses in the
calamity zone greatly hastened the development of the illness.

Today the doctors do not have any means to cure the child. The only way to
save him is to transplant a kidney. The operation is to be made in the
«Arabkir» medical center, and the donor has been already found. It will be
the father of the child. The Ghukasyans living in the calamity zone do not
have the money necessary for the operation, and the doctors claim that the
child must be saved within the coming months.

For his age, 15-year-old Vardan Ghoukasyan has great plans for future.
Sending his articles to different newspapers in Spitak and participating in
a competition he has already won a computer. Although it is an old one,
Vardan is sure that it is the «instrument» of his future, as the future
journalist needs equipment.

We call everyone and ask everyone to help the calamity zone one more time
and to save the life of the child symbolizing hope with his birth after the
disaster.

For information you can call (0255) 2-20-65 in Spitak, or 58-54-27 to «A1+»,
and write to info@a1plus.am.