Recco in the Media

Press

Recco Home Care Donates Home Care Services for a Child in Need

When Frank Recco heard about a little boy and his brother who were attacked by Chimpanzees in the Congo, he knew that he wanted to do something to help.

During the attack, one boy was killed and his brother, Dunia, was brutally mauled and his face disfigured.   Dunia lost his lips and sustained severe scarring on his face. Dunia was currently being fostered by Jennifer Crean, who is a member of an organization called “Smile Rescue Fund for Kids”.  Jennifer was fostering Dunia so he could come to the United States and have surgery to restore his face.

Smile Rescue Fund for Kids is a nonprofit organization that was founded a few years ago to care for kids with severe facial deformities who are often ignored by similar groups that repair simpler issues like cleft lips.  Jennifer is also the Executive Director of Smile Rescue Fund for Kids and she and the organization were responsible for bringing Dunia to the US for reconstructive surgery.  Stony Brook Hospital donated the facility and medical staff’s time to operate on Dunia.  It was expected that Dunia would need several surgeries to help restore his lips and would be staying with Jen and her family for probably about a year.

Jennifer was giving up so much of her time and life taking care of Dunia, but has obligations of her own.  She works full time and has three school age children of her own. Jennifer was looking for approximately three weeks of home care coverage during the day while she was a t work and the foundation was willing to pay for services.

Frank and Stacey Recco were totally moved by the story.  And when Jennifer reached out to Recco Home Care to ask about home care services for Dunia when he was released from the hospital, they saw it as a wonderful opportunity to help a child in need. Recco Home Care wanted to help Dunia as well as give support to the family that had opened up their home and was caring for Dunia.

It was decided that Recco Home Care would supply Dunia the in-home care that he needed to help him recover – free of charge for three weeks.  The founder of Recco Home Care, Norma Recco, always instilled in her family members and company employees that home care and the services they render to people in need is never about the money.  It’s always about helping people.

An aide named Gerolyn was selected who would be up for the challenge of taking care of this sick but rambunctious little boy, who is in a whole new world that he had ever known and did not speak English.  Gerolyn rose to the occasion and did a fantastic job with sympathetic, loving care and representing Recco Home Care in a positive way.  As a special thanks to Gerolyn for her dedication and loyalty to Recco, she was presented with an Aide of the Month certificate and bonus.

Gerolyn and Dunia’s bond became something that will last a lifetime for both of them – isn’t that what home care is about?

We all too often hear about the negatives of home care and the issues we are always battling, including shortages of aides, DOH Regulations and low reimbursement rates from the Insurance Companies. Perhaps the powers that be in Albany can see just what a need there is for home care before it effects their own personal lives or the lives of their loved ones and help us continue the care that is so desperately needed and that every person in our great Country deserves.

Recco Home Care is proud that they had the opportunity to help Dunia and help make his life more normal.  They know that Dunia, if he could express himself, would be eternally grateful and thankful to all his doctor and caretakers for all they have done. Such a miraculous little boy.

If you would like to read more about Dunia’s story, please click on the links below:

http://smilerescuefund.org/in-the-news/

http://tbrnewsmedia.com/long-island-group-rescues-little-boys-smile/

http://abc7ny.com/health/boy-disfigured-by-congo-chimp-attack-to-get-life-changing-surgery-at-stony-brook/1141214/

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/health/boy-mauled-by-chimps-facial-surgery/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chimp-attack-surgery-idUSKCN0VA2AT