Mehrnoushn Tafreshi Iranian
student, Mehrnoush Tafreshi, suffers from Myopia, which causes her to
be highly nearsighted and has caused a detached retina. A top student
in Tehran and desperate for help, she wrote to Pope John Paul II for
assistance. The Pope contacted the Polish American Congress in
Cheektowaga, New York near Buffalo and requested his assistance in
helping save the sight of this young girl.
Medical technology in
Tehran is not equal to that here in the United States and in 1999, Dr.
Atwal made arrangements through the Hope For Tomorrow Foundation and
several service organizations to bring Mehrnoush to the United States.
She had her retina reattached by retinal surgeons, Dr. Sara Lyn Notaro
and Dr. Mark Comaratta. He then made arrangements for her to stay in
the United States to seek further medical attention.