Dream lives on through tragedy

Stevo Saric, who is dying of stomach cancer, takes comfort knowing his family will have a better life than it had in Bosnia.

By LEON M. TUCKER

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 21, 2001

CLEARWATER -- A white sheet covers much of Stevo Saric's body as he rests in an adjustable bed in a back room at his house.

With the exception of the low roar of studio laughter from the television at his feet, only the occasional clicking noise from the intravenous feeding machine can be heard.

Saric is dying.

The 46-year-old, thin with sunken facial features, suffers from the final stages of stomach cancer.

With his disease diagnosed last month, the once active, athletic family man has in a matter of weeks been transformed into a frail, 135-pound shell, a man who can barely summon the strength to speak.

"I'm tired because I have a lot of pain," Saric, speaking through a translator, said in a soft but raspy voice. "But I feel more relaxed now because I believe my family will have a better life."

Saric, who is Serbian, met his wife, Fediba, 39, who is Muslim, in the town of Zenica, Bosnia, when she was 17.

Within the year the two married and were on their way to having sons Sasa, now 19, and Dario, now 16, despite serious division because of their ethnic backgrounds.

But in the former Yugoslavia, slaughter and ethnic cleansing were unleashed between the Serbs and their Muslim neighbors, dimming hopes of a multiethnic Eastern Europe. After years of seeking refuge from ethnic and religious persecution, the family's dream of a better life came true Oct. 1, 1999, when Saric, his wife and sons immigrated to the United States.

Through the National Refugee Relocation Program, under the auspices of Catholic Charities, the family was brought to Safety Harbor, where members of Espiritu Santo Catholic Church were waiting to help.

With the help of Bob George, who has been helping the family, and other church members, the Sarics were able to find jobs as housekeepers at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, learn English and secure a loan to buy a $111,000 home in Clearwater.

But the dream turned into a nightmare when, in April, George noticed Saric did not look well.

He was hospitalized and tests confirmed he had cancer. Health insurance covers medical bills but the family has no income; Mrs. Saric and Sasa are not working to remain by Saric's side.

What little savings the family put away is quickly being spent, George said. To help, volunteers at Espiritu Santo have donated some money while opening an account at First Union Bank at 2580 N McMullen-Booth Road in Clearwater to help the family during Saric's illness.

George hopes to raise about $18,000, or $1,500 a month, for a year that the family could use to cover living expenses.

So far $200 has been collected.

"The goal is to provide a year's worth of peace for these folks," George said. "To see them going through all these financial problems and health problems is not right."

To help

For more information on how to help, contact Bob George at 244-6480.

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