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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 18, 2008 - 13 Chance meeting in northeast India gave student purpose By Hiba Kesebi SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER In the fall of 2007, Samir Alkabie signed up for a trip to Mizoram, a remote mountainous region in northeast India, with the Global Youth Network, a Christian non-profit organization, in hopes of experiencing a new culture, and distributing some 400 dental hygiene supplies as a personal initiative to help people in developing countries. But it wasn't until two-and-ahalf weeks into his month-long stay in Mizoram, that Alkabie came to realize the true purpose of his visit -- saving Papa's life. Alkabie, and 13 other university students who had volunteered to take part in the trip, were asked to visit rehabilitation centres as part of the Global Youth Network's planned agenda. When Alkabie walked into the rehabilitation centre in the Lunglei District, he wasn't surprised to see that even those who were sick were still able to stand and move around. After all, the rehabilitation centre housed people with mental development or addictive problems. Papa, however, caught everyone's attention. "There was one man, who was SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER HELPING HAND: Oakville university student Samir Alkabie with Papa en route by ambulance to a hospital in northeast India. just lying down in the hut," said Alkabie. "We went with my whole team to see him. The guy was rolling and moving around, you can tell immediately that the man was dying," continued Alkabie, his eyes fixed on the corner of his living room ceiling, almost like the vision of Papa, with his abdomen completely hollowed out and the skin on his face completely stuck to his skull, had once again found its way into Alkabie's mind's eye. Alkabie, who had just graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a bachelor of science degree, was quick in realizing that Papa was suffering from severe malnutrition. "He was shivering cold in the blaring heat of the day. I've never seen a man so close to death," recalled the 22-year-old. "I'm not a doctor, but I was determined to help him. I had come to the conclusion that this man was in no state to eat. The facility was in no shape to rehabilitate him. He needed to be transferred." Fortunately, Dina, a Mizoram resident, who hosted two students from the group at his home, informed Alkabie that his own brother was a doctor. Within a few minutes, Alkabie was on the phone with Dr. Lalramzauva, medical superintendent at the Christian Hospital Serkawn. Through the phone conversation, Alkabie learned that getting an ambulance was not going to be an easy task. The hour-long ride from the hospital to the rehab centre was not an easy one because most of Mizoram's roads circled the mountains of the region. Nonetheless Lalramzauva agreed to send one. Getting the ambulance only marked the beginning of Alkabie's efforts to assist. Once the ambulance came, Alkabie had another task -- to get Papa on the stretcher, safely. "We needed to keep him horizontal, because when people haven't eaten, their blood pressure drops, and if they get up it causes their heart to beat faster, and their blood pressure to drop quicker," explained Alkabie, who admits to watching a lot of medical shows. Those shows helped save Papa See Good page 14 JULY 19-26 GREAT SERVICE FANTASTIC PRICES HEAR WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE SAYING: "The service here has gone above and beyond our expectations." ~ STEPHANIE P. D IFIE E: E RT D UR C S INCLU ARRANTY O CLE PONENT W N EHI O `04 Tribute 2WD $128/bi $128/bi weekly 8 kl EAT EALS CA S ON GR D `04 Mazda 3 GT Sedan $148/bi $148/bi weekly / kl `04 Mazda 6 $108/bi $108/bi weekly / kl `06 Mazda MX-5 $224/bi $224/bi weekly 4 kl P1740 P1733 P1739 P1743 P1698 P1741 P1676 P1683 P1742 P1703 $12,981 $13,981 $13,981 $10,981 $14,981 $14,981 $14,981 $12,981 $14,981 $10,981 $13,981 $128/bw $138/bw $138/bw $108/bw $148/bw $148/bw $148/bw $128/bw $128/bw $148/bw $108/bw $138/bw `05 Mazda RX8 GT [42K] `06 Mazda B4000 4X4 [38K] `06 Mazda 3 GS [65K] `05 Mazda 3 GS [82K] `05 Mazda RX8 GT [49K] `04 Mazda RX8 GT [46K] `04 Mazda 3 GT [100K] `05 Mazda MX-5 [36K] `05 Mazda 3 GS [67K] `04 Mazda Tribute 2WD [60K] `04 Mazda 3 GX [60K] `04 Mazda 3 GS [100K] P1723 P1693 P1709 P1707 P1730 P1702 P1708 P1725 P1721 P1677 P1686 P1687 $21,981 $17,981 $16,981 $14,981 $19,981 $20,981 $13,981 $22,981 $13,981 $12,981 $11,981 $12,981 $214/bw $176/bw $166/bw $148/bw $194/bw $205/bw $138/bw $224/bw $138/bw $128/bw $118/bw $128/bw IN SH 30 D V COM ECTI AJOR NT INSP NGES A I AY M 0 PO F OIL CH 15 O EAR 1Y S OCK EL L WHE `05 R GT RX8 $205/ $205/bi weekly `04 Mazda 6 GS Wagon GFX $138/bi $138/bi weekly / kl `04 Mazda 6 GS [58K] `05 Mazda 3 GS [80K] `04 Mazda 6 GS [89K] `05 Mazda 3 GT Sedan [65K] `05 Mazda 3 GT Sport [88K] `05 Mazda Tribute 4WD [36K] `04 Mazda MPV [44K] `04 Mazda 3 GS [63K] `06 Mazda MPV [76K] `04 Mazda 3 GX [84K] 04 Mazda MPV [83K] `04 Mazda 3 GT Sport [70K] `04 Mazda 6 GT [86K] `06 Mazda Speed 6 GS [11K] `06 Mazda 3 GT Sport [22K] `06 Mazda 3 GT Sport [49K] `06 Mazda 3 GT Sport [38K] `06 Mazda 3 GS Sedan [40K] `05 Mazda 3 GT Sport [24K] `05 Mazda 3 GT Sport [45K] `05 Mazda 3 GT Sport [57K] `05 Mazda Tribute ES [79K] `04 Mazda 3 GT Sedan [73K] P1701 P1724 P1757 P1698 P1693 P1701 P1751 P1758 P1750 P1755 P1753 P1752 $15,981 $15,981 $24,981 $18,981 $18,981 $17,981 $16,981 $16,981 $15,981 $15,981 $14,981 $14,981 $155/bw $155/bw $249/bw $183/bw $183/bw $177/bw $166/bw $166/bw $155/bw $155/bw $147/bw $147/bw `04 Mazda 6 Wagon GFX [95K] P1738 P1650A $12,981 VIEW 25+ PICTURES OF E CH VEHICLE ONLINE AT: EAC EACH 905-827-4242 1291 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE CREDIT PROBLEMS IN THE PAST? www.oakv emazda.com www.oakvillemazda.com ville FRI.-SAT. 9AM - 6PM MON.-THURS. 9AM - 9PM NO CREDIT APPLICATION WILL BE REFUSED! Disclosure: Finance payments are biweekly payments on 60 month term with 10% down. Payments include fees and taxes. I.e. $11,981 plus tax with $1,200 down equals $118 bi weekly @ 7.85% with cost of borrowing being $2,686 ver the term. Cash prices exclude taxes. Vechilces may not be exactly as shown.