HI,

Need a reliable, dependable,and economical vehicle.

My name is Manuel Torres, and I currently a single father of two children, a 6-year-old, and a 8-year-old.  My 8-year-old son was born in 2/29/2000 with a gastroschsis (all his little guts where out of his stomach when he was born), and thank God that in just a matter of days his guts when in his stomach faster than anybody thought.  However, when he was five months in my wifes stomach he was also dectected with kidney infections due to kidney reflux. 

Since my son was born we have been helping our son with issues related with his gastrochisis, and his kidney reflux.  In the first year our son was not placed on the right type of medication, and one night into his first year, we began to notice our son starring getting weak, being unresponsive, and his lips turning purple.  We took our son immediatly to the emergency room at Kenewick General Hospital where they told us that our sons BUN was extremely high because he had a lot of waste in his kidneys, and it was creating an extremely high kidney infection.  "everything is totally is out of wack," a female emergency doctor told us, and he needs to be immidiatly to Sared Heart Hosopital in Spokane, WA.  The doctor told me that she was not sure if my son was going to make the flight to Spokane because he was extremely dehydrated, had a high fever, and showed an extremely high kidney infection.

My wife, and I were crying through the whole flight just looking at our unresponsive son.  He was in the Hopistal for two weeks, but that damage due to his kidney reflux was high and unreversible.  His kidney function was reduced to low 30%, and this was both of his kidneys.  Since then he was placed on antibiotic called septra use for infections, and has been on this medication for about 8 years.  Our nephrologist in Portland told us that his function was going to continue to decline, and eventually was going to need a kidney transplant or dialysis because both of his kidneys were now working at a 15% level, and continued to declined.

As our son was going though all these treatments, and medications to assist the current functioning of his kidneys we lost our daughter due to placenta previa (my wife was going to be due in matter of days).  A year later we had premature son named William Ezekiel Torres weighing only 13 oz.; However, despite my son being born premature, and without his skin being fully developed, he was able to overcome extreme life challenging infections that could claim the life of our son or cause extreme brain damage.  Our son fought for his life and made it through all these infections as he was in the hospital at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane.

At five months, and weighing less than 5 pounds we got the chance to bring our son back home in Pasco, WA. with only a oxygen tank.  Our son made it through the extreme infections, the predisone used to mature his lungs, and a surgey completed to correct a artery going through his heart or needed to be connected to his heart.  Everybody that saw our tiny little William fell in love with him.

Everything was going well; However a year and an a half our son got very sick, and we took him to the emergency Hospital at Kedalek in Richland, WA at about 8:00 p.m. he appeared to be in pain, and only wanted to sleep.  The doctor in the emergency room didn't bother to even touch him.  The doctor a gave him a medication that he reported was going to make him sleepy because it worked in the nervous system.  We told the doctor that we preferred having our son admitted becaused this was nit like our son, and he was born premature.  Regardless of what we told the doctor he gave our son Benedryl according to his actual birthdate, and didn't look at the fact that our son was born premature.

Benedryl made our son even more sleepy, and after leaving the hospital at about 1:00 a.m.,  We thought that our son was going to be alright the following day because after he was given the medication at the hospital, and a precription, our son went to sleep.  The doctor stated that he was going or the Hospital was going to give us a call to see how our son was doing the following day.  The following day at about 8:00 a.m., I woke up touched my son and he was very cold.  I rapidly got up, picked up my son, but his whole body was cold, and completely unresponsive.  I attempted cpr, but there was no response, and I yelled out of my lungs my son is dead, my son is dead, my son is dead.  I called 911, and the police officer were the first ones to arrive, and declared our son dead upon arrival.

This impacted all of our families, and I had to borrowed money from my father to burried my son, in the same cementary where I had buried our daughter.  Throug all this pain we continued to care for our son Manuel Andrew Torres, who on June 19, he had surgery to start him on hemodialysis.  Our son started hemo dialysis on June 24, and continues to be on dialysis.  I was listed as a donor, but my blood was not compatible with his, but my wife blood is O+, just like our son, so there is still some hope for a living donor transplant.

Since we started with Children's Hospital we had to borrowed a car to make his appointments, but soon after this resource became exhausted.  So, borrowed another vehicle from another family member who lents us the car with some reluctance.  The car whas been breaking up for the past three months, and I and my two sons have had to walked to the hospital, with My son Andrew on my back from Ronald Mcdonald house to the Children's Hospital, and to other stores which are quite a distance when you have to carry a 51-pound boy on your back, especially when your back is herniated in the two lower disks causing severe back pain, leg numbness, and constant muscle spasams.

We have not been able to go to the tri-cities because we don't have a car despite both of our families want to see my son Andrew.  I am not a person who quickly asks for something until our situation turns as difficult as it has.  I have asked my family for their help, but they have denied us such request, although I feel bad at first I understand that people don't easy depart with their belongings specially when they have worked so hard to get them.

Like I mentioned earlier my sons, and I a currently staying at the Ronald Mcdonald House since June, and the address is 5130 40th Ave. N.E., Seattle, WA., phone number directly to our room is (206) 838-0865.  Thank you.  If you want any medical support to well support what I just disclosed I am more than happy to provide this documentation.  Again, thank you.

Best Wishes,

Manuel Torres, Father of Manuel Andrew Torres