Dikembe Mutombo: Mom could have been saved | Forward Progress

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0:36Get more of what you need faster and save more where it counts from the ground up. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Battle 3-826, while supplies last. Selection varies by location. Hey, it's Graham. Our past in-depth guests have shared so many inspirational stories about overcoming adversity and tackling the darkest and most challenging times in their lives. We're sharing one of those moments in today's Thursday podcast in the hope that it provides a blueprint for any difficulties you might be facing. This week, Dikembe Mutombo.

1:10You know, we were talking about your hospital, obviously, earlier, and you mentioned your mother's death had played a role in that she apparently had a stroke but was unable to make it to the hospital. Explain why. There's no ambulance system until 1999, 2000, when I started installing ambulances in the capital city. There was never the ambulance system. So that can tell you just the work that our foundation has been doing. Our hospital got more than five ambulances, which served the community and people outside the community. But there was no ambulance system in the capital city of more than 12 million people.

2:06And not only that, what would have happened if somebody had tried to take her to the hospital at that time? My dad tried, but by that time it was a curfew. It was just a bad time. It was a confederate passing way. And my dad couldn't leave the house. He was asking to go back inside. How much do you think her passing was a result of not having the access to proper medical care? From athletic stuff like a full court pickup game, swish, to athletic-ish stuff like a half mile stroll. Get those steps in. Head to Sierra or Sierra.com for the brands you want at the prices that let you do it all. From athletic to athletic-ish, Sierra's got it.

2:55Pros, find the right flooring for the job in Lowe's newly redesigned flooring showroom. Shop our expanded assortment of trusted brands and get up to 35 % off style selections, Stain Master, and Stain Master Pet Protect special order carpet. And while you're here, save$100 on a DeWalt 20-volt max 6-amp hour 2-pack of batteries. Now just$179. Get more of what you need faster and save more where it counts from the ground up. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. VALA 3826, while supplies last. Selection barriers by location. It's still hard to my family. It's still very hard because we believe that she could have been saved.

3:32She was just saying, I'm hot, I'm hot. I'm not feeling well. So I think if they could have taken her to Galema, which is two blocks away from the hotel where we're staying, which is another good hospital for rich people, I could have been five minutes away from my parents' home and I could have been safe. And that would have made all the difference in the world. How much incentive does that provide you with what you're doing with your hospital to avoid other people having to go through a similar situation? Save many mothers. I'm trying to save as many mothers as I can. And I will try my best. Today I'm no longer here.

4:30I don't want to know how the kids lose their mother from those same circumstances. That's why we have best trained doctors, better intensive care union, trying to put as many medical equipments, high technology in this hospital. bring all the best doctors from the United States and Europe to Congo to work with our team and to make them learn to tell me what we need and what we don't need. In taking it from concept to reality, what was the biggest challenge? Raising money. Really? It was a pain in the butt. That's the reason why I ended up cutting a$23 million check. $23 million? To cut the bill.

5:25And what was the total cost? Total cost was like about$30 some plus million. Then launching the operation for the first three, four years, the cost was maybe another $10 million. Wow. So we raised about$40 some million plus. Was it harder than you expected to raise the money? I think it was hard because I think I made a mistake in the end. I was a professional basketball player making millions and millions of dollars a year. And I felt at the beginning that maybe if I gave myself a couple of millions and I announced to the world I'm building a hospital, the rest of the NBA players were just going to be walking at the door.

6:12Right. Handling me a check, and I was wrong. That's it for now, but if you're hungry for more in-depth interviews, head over to YouTube.com slash Graham Bensinger. You can dive into our deep library, which includes more than 2 ,000 clips spanning 12-plus years. Thanks again for listening. Hello. Look what TJ Maxx dragged in. The Devil Wears Prada 2 is now streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu. We are digital. We are downloadable. We are streamable. The fashion event of the year is certified fresh. Pull yourself together. We have work to do. Critics say it's smart and witty and the perfect sequel. That's all.

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