Life or liberty?

ABOVE: With a distant look in his eyes, Martin Morales is confined to a chair in his home, unable to function normally because of his Hepatitis C. If Morales does not receive a liver soon, he will die. BELOW: Martin gets a dose of his medicine from his wife Michelle on Monday at their home. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — Martin Morales’ wife and children are praying for a miracle.

Morales, 42, a local contractor who has lived in Gallup for the last 28 years, has liver disease from hepatitis C SanvilleA 9/19/08 cq and is in dire need of a liver transplant. Last week he was hospitalized at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital in Gallup. Now he’s in Albuquerque’s Presbyterian Hospital.

Family, friends, fellow church members, and concerned community members are frantically working to tell his story, raise money for his medical care, and assist this father of four who has no health insurance, but who faces a mountain of medical and legal challenges.

Transformed life

From his hospital bed last weekend, Morales, accompanied by his wife, Michelle, talked about his need for a transplant. Daughters Racquel and Chantelle, both 18, Yvonne, 17, and only son Martin, 13, listened quietly as their parents discussed the medical crisis that has rocked their family.

Originally from Mexico, Morales came to the United States as a young teen, searching for his father who had come to work in the U.S. Morales ended up in Gallup, where he found employment in the construction field. He eventually met and married Michelle and established his own construction business, known particularly for his stucco work.

There were, however, serious missteps along the way. As a teen, Morales explained, he became involved in drugs. His drug use led to arrests and a felony conviction, and that led to a stint in the New Mexico prison system.

But all those years of hard times also led Morales and his family to where they are now — a family solidly grounded in their love for God and for each other. Martin and Michelle became Christians, joined the Gallup Christian Center, and began raising their children in a far different way than they once had. They started hosting Bible studies in their home, and they began helping with men’s and women’s Bible studies in the McKinley County Adult Detention Center. In addition, Martin started visiting the local juvenile detention center, where he would share his anti-drug message and his personal testimony of faith.

As part of his effort to clean the slate of his past and live a new life, Morales said, he went to court officials several years ago to take care of an old arrest warrant, and he and Michelle hired an attorney to help him apply for U.S. citizenship.

And then he began to feel sick.

Life-changing diagnosis

It was two years ago, Michelle said, when she noticed something appeared wrong with her hardworking husband.

“He’s a very active person, and I noticed his energy level had dropped,” she explained.

Feeling weak and feverish, Morales thought he just had the flu. When the symptoms persisted, medical tests revealed Morales had hepatitis C, a virus that frequently produces no signs or symptoms during the early stages.

A person can unknowingly have hepatitis C for two or three decades while the disease silently attacks the liver. It eventually can lead to liver cancer, liver failure, or cirrhosis. One new treatment development, one that the Morales family is pinning its hopes on, is a liver transplant that involves the donation of a liver segment from a living family member.

Morales isn’t sure how he contracted hepatitis C. The results of medical tests conducted after he quit using drug leads him to believe drug use wasn’t the cause. He thinks he may have gotten the disease from unclean tattoo needles.

After his diagnosis, Morales began receiving medical care but continued to work and support his family. Two months ago, however, his health dramatically worsened, and he’s been in and out the hospital ever since. According to Michelle Morales, all the doctors have agreed that at this stage in the disease, her husband only has a short time to live without a liver transplant.

“We’re talking months,” she said, “months that we need to get this done.” According to Michelle, after phone calls to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, the family will need $20,000 for the preliminary tests on Morales and potential family donors, another $150,000 to get on the clinic’s waiting list, and another $255,000 for the liver transplant.

Community support

A legal Catch-22 SanvilleA 9/19/08 cq has added another complicating layer to Morales’ medical crisis. He hasn’t been able to get medical insurance because he’s not an American citizen. He’s tried to apply for citizenship in the past, he said, but his felony conviction has been a stumbling block. He wanted to apply for a pardon for the felony, but the attorney he hired to help him with the pardon and the citizenship application suffered a stroke and is no longer able to practice law.

As a result, friends of Morales have begun a flurry of activity to help him and his family. A bank account, “Morales Family Medical Fund,” has been set up at the First Financial Credit Union, which has two locations in Gallup and branches in Pine Hill and Zuni. According to bank officials, the IRS is allowing the donations to be tax deductible. A Web site, www.supportmartinmorales.com, has been launched to accept Pay Pal and credit card donations. Petitions asking Gov. Bill Richardson to grant Morales a pardon are circulating around Gallup and can be signed at D&D Motors, the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department, Pronto Plumbing, The UPS Store, and Xtreme Cuts.

Sandra Diaz, a family friend, has been involved in all these efforts. While circulating petitions around Gallup, she enlisted the help of Michael E. Lunnon, the owner of the Gallup UPS Store. Lunnon suggested setting up the bank account and Pay Pal account, and allowed one of his employees to create a flyer, an e-mail account, and the Web site for the medical fund.

Although Lunnon admits Morales’s immigration status is a tough issue for some, he believes Morales’ life is now an asset to the Gallup community.

“He’s paid his debit to society,” Lunnon said. “He deserves a second chance.” “I just hope the town can get behind him… and give him the help he needs,” he added.

From his hospital bed last weekend, Morales asked for people to pray for him and his family. “I always tried to help others,” he admitted, “but I never expected to be in this position.”

Michelle Morales said she and her husband have “totally surrendered” his medical condition to God and that they are spiritually at peace. “We trust and love God enough to know that he’s looking out for us,” she said.

And in a telephone call on Friday evening, she expressed gratitude to the people who have offered assistance, saying, “God has really blessed us with some great people.”

Information: www.supportmartinmorales.com