Ecuadorian man finds a healing reception in Central Jersey
By: Katie Wagner
A 26-year-old Ecuadorian’s nine-month emotional roller coaster has finally come to a halt thanks to the efforts of family, new friends, U.S. physicians and medical equipment suppliers.
Less than a month ago, William Morocho Japa’s life was threatened by the potential rupturing of an intracranial aneurysm, a bulging, weakened wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain one that had doubled in size in six months and was still growing.
But on Thursday, his only concern was of a slight headache, a normal side effect for the type of surgery he had June 15.
"I am so happy," Mr. Morocho Japa said. "My daughter, who calls me from Ecuador every day was singing to me on the phone and telling me how she prayed for me the first time I spoke to her after having surgery."
Mr. Morocho Japa received a corrective procedure called endovascular emobilization, a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure designed to essentially patch the aneurysm, blocking it off from regular blood flow.
The successful surgery was performed by Dr. Michael Horowitz, a specialist in the treatment of intracranial aneurysm who traveled to the University Medical Center at Princeton from the Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he is chief of neurosurgery.
Dr. Horowitz was assisted by Dr. Donald F. Denny, chief of radiology at Princeton HealthCare System and Dr. Mark R. McLaughlin, a neurosurgeon with Princeton HealthCare System who coordinated all medical efforts for the surgery. A clearance for the surgery was provided by Dr. Victor D. Iturbides, a doctor of internal medicine at Princeton HealthCare System. All physicians involved with making Mr. Morocho Japa’s life-changing surgery possible volunteered their time, allowing Mr. Morocho Japa to receive the surgery that he couldn’t afford.
This was the first time an endovascular emobilization had been performed in the University Medical Center at Princeton and actually preparing the surgery required the efforts of several Princeton HealthCare System staff members.
"Every department in the hospital was affected in some way," said Robbi Alexander, a registered nurse program coordinator of the hospital system’s Community Education and Outreach Program, who was the first staff member to get word of Mr. Morocho Japa’s story.
Mr. Morocho Japa’s father-in-law lives in Hightstown and Ms. Alexander said her strong relationship and experience working with the Hightstown community and St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Hightstown was one reason she and other staff members wanted to help the Ecuadorian.
"I think what was really exciting for us was here was a man that’s been given a death sentence and we had the ability to do the surgery he needed," Ms. Alexander added.
Mr. Morocho Japa’s aneurysm resulted from a car accident in Ecuador on Sept. 20, 2006 that put him into an 11-day coma. He awoke only to learn that he had developed an intracranial aneurysm that could not be treated by doctors in his country.
"My doctor said to me, ‘Here in Ecuador, this type of surgery is not done,’" Mr. Morocho Japa said. "I was basically told to go home and wait to die.
"My main concern was that there would be no one to take care of my wife and daughter," Mr. Morocho Japa added.
His only chance of survival was finding a specialist to treat him, so Mr. Morocho Japa’s wife, Francisca Naulaguari Pajone, began the search by contacting family in the United States. Her father Jose Sergio Naulaguari, who lives in Hightstown, was very worried and said he would see what he could do, Mr. Morocho Japa said.
After months of waiting, Mr. Morocho Japa heard a few words of hope. In February, Mr. Naulaguari told Mr. Morocho Japa there was a possibility of him receiving medical help in the United States.
Right away, Mr. Morocho Japa began applying for all the documents needed for traveling to the United States, but again met another large bump in the road.
"The U.S. consulate in Guayaquil, Ecuador was very reluctant to grant him a visa," said David Abalos, who served as the communication mediator between Princeton HealthCare System staff and Mr. Morocho Japa’s family.
After a visit to the consulate by Mr. Morocho Japa, the mailing of several letters from Princeton HealthCare staff to the consulate and much behind the scenes e-mail and fax correspondence, the Ecuadorian finally received permission to go to the U.S. about a month before having surgery.
"There were times when I felt very sad and times, when I felt very happy," Mr. Morocho Japa said of his experiences over the past nine months.
He added that getting to know the United States has been a very exciting and happy experience for him.
Mr. Morocho Japa has been staying at his father-in-law’s home in Hightstown and will remain there until July 29, the date of his return flight to Ecuador. He said he is looking forward to returning to Cuenca, Ecuador to see his wife and daughter. Communication between Mr. Morocho Japa and his physicians from the United States will continue.
In fact, Dr. McLaughlin is currently working on convincing an Ecuadorian subsidiary of the U.S. pharmaceutical company that makes the drug Desmopressin acetate, used to treat certain types of diabetes, to provide it to Mr. Morocho Japa, who cannot afford it.

