Cancer Patient Longs to See Children Again

At first, the headaches always passed, and Florentina Mangu never gave them a second thought.

She and her husband Florine were too busy thinking about their future, and working to save enough money to reunite with their two children, Cristina, 18, and Adrian, 16, who stayed with Florentina’s sister when the couple left Romania two years ago to escape from the chaos of 40 years of communism.

The headaches, now accompanied by dizzy spells, began to linger, and Florentina felt a numbness in her arms and legs. About two weeks ago, Florentina found that she could no longer move her legs or arms on the left side of her body.

She was brought into the emergency room at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Woodland Hills on Sept. 17, her husband’s 46th birthday.

Dr. Farr Ajir, chief neurosurgeon, found an inoperable malignant tumor that had spread throughout her brain: “The worst kind of cancer,” he said.

“I didn’t want to make such a present for his birthday, and I ask God all the time, why?” said Florentina, weeping softly. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, sitting in a wheelchair at Hillhaven Health Care Center in Van Nuys. Against her husband’s urgings, Florentina, a devout Christian, sometimes believes that she is being punished for leaving her children behind.

More than anything now, she wants to see her children again.

But she doesn’t know how much time she has.

“I don’t know how long or short it is, I’m afraid to ask the doctor,” she said. “I don’t want to start a countdown, but I want to see my children before I go.”

One hurdle has been overcome. On Wednesday, after the Romanian government reversed itself several times, the children were granted visas.

But despite their hard work since coming to the United States, the Mangus say they can’t afford the $9,000 they need to buy airline tickets for their children.

Both took job-training classes when they arrived. Florentina, an architectural drafter in Romania, attended a computer school for a year and landed a job editing computer-generated architectural and mechanical drawings for Optronics Specialty, a technical photography company in Chatsworth.

An accountant in Romania, Florine worked days as a delivery driver for an automotive paint company. He took a night job as an inventory clerk who services retail chain stores of all kinds throughout the San Fernando Valley. He has attended the West Valley Occupational Center to upgrade his accounting skills, but he concedes that he needs more training.

When Florentina became ill, he gave up his day job, moved in with his brother and spends his days with his wife of 22 years, who misses her work.

“I was busy, but I was happy to be busy because I make money and send my children money,” she said. The Mangus said they sought freedom to provide a better life for their children away from a Romania embroiled in a difficult and violent transition from communism.

Florine is waiting for a hearing on his application for political asylum.

“I fight 44 years for change, but I grew tired,” he said.

In Romania, the couple worked seven days a week, and made time to attend church after workdays, said Florentina.

They have come to appreciate even the simple things others take for granted in this country, such as the opportunity to buy bananas or other tropical fruits and vegetables. Such American staples are rarely seen in Romanian markets, and are usually unaffordable when they are available.

Despite the tragedy, the Mangus are relieved that Florentina will receive good medical care. She began three weeks of radiation therapy Thursday. The process cannot be repeated because the radiation would damage the brain over a prolonged period of time, Ajir said.

Ajir believes that having her children at her side won’t cure Florentina’s disease, but will have a positive emotional and psychological impact.

Florentina, sitting in a wheelchair, worries about how her children will react to her illness.

“I left them on my legs, and now they will see me like this, but I still want to see them,” she said.

In the meantime, the Mangus hold tight to their strong faith and the dream of reuniting with their children. Florentina plans to make the reunion the best time of their lives.

“We pray to God every day and every night for a miracle,” she said. “Maybe he will help us,” she said, gazing upward. “Maybe he will hear us.”