WCF Memorial to Mr. Ray Tye
Thank you, Mr. Tye from the WCF and all the children whose lives you helped to uplift!
He loved to read the newspaper and he loved to help people. He frequently combined these passions, offering financial aid to hurting individuals about whom he read in the newspaper. On March 10, 2010, this generous man, Ray Tye, head of the Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation, died of cancer at his home in the Boston, Massachusetts area.
Mr. Tye and the World Craniofacial Foundation (WCF) became acquainted in 2003. The conjoined Egyptian twins had traveled to Dallas, Texas, for evaluation by Dr. Kenneth Salyer and the International Craniofacial Institute team. The twins could be separated, it was determined, but it would cost a significant sum of money. The Ibrahim twins’ story was widely publicized, including the dilemma of obtaining funding to carry out the surgery. In Boston, Mr. Tye’s secretary, read about the Ibrahims and laid the newspaper on Mr. Tye’s desk, open to the article about the twins.
Shortly thereafter, Sue Blackwood, WCF Director, received a phone call. It was Mr. Tye – he often called those whom he wanted to assist directly himself. Mr. Tye subsequently provided much of the funding that made Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrahim’s separation possible.
Mr. Tye’s support of and affection for the WCF did not end there. He continued to donate money to help with the Egyptian twins’ physical therapy and education. He also made significant contributions to fund evaluation of the conjoined Dogaru twins, though they were not ultimately separated.
More recently, the Ray Tye Foundation made treatment possible for WCF patient, Marko Marinkov. Marko, who was born with severe Crouzon syndrome, travelled in 2008 to Paris, France, for life-saving surgery with craniofacial surgeon, Dr. Eric Arnaud. Not long after their son’s surgery, Marko’s parents sent the following message to Mr. Tye:
“We are so very thankful you gave hope to our son, born with this severe disorder, to be able to stay alive and have a normal life. We know that we would never be able to thank you enough for that, and we are using this email to try to explain our feelings and how you changed our lives and gave us hope. We are so thankful and we are sending you a picture of a little boy who is alive thanks to you.”
In 2009, Mr. Tye extended his support to the WCF’s efforts to establish a craniofacial partnership in Shanghai. Only three craniofacial treatment centers exist in all of China and there are minimal resources for indigent patients. A medical mission/teaching trip to Shanghai’s Renji University Hospital and the Ninth People’s Hospital in November 2009 gave the WCF further opportunity to develop and expand craniofacial and cleft surgery options for indigent patients in China.
The WCF is grateful for the legacy of hope left by Mr. Tye. Over time, he contributed nearly half a million dollars to the work of the WCF. We will miss him, and we are thankful for the work the WCF has been able to accomplish because of him.
Mr. Tye with the Ibrahim twins, 9/2009
Mr. Tye and Dr. Salyer
