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courtesy photo Marius Dasianu, 9, had 75 percent of his body burned in a house fire in November 2007. Two BYU students met Marius in the hospital and have helped get him medical treatment in the United States. The fire also killed his parents. Dasianu will be in Los Angeles to begin treatment for the burns.

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Photo courtesy Elisa Bushman Marius Dasianu, 9, and his brother, Ionut, 18, who now has custody of him, on the way to get their passports in order for Marius to come to the United States to get treatment for his burns. In November 2007, a house fire killed his parents and burned 75 percent of his body. Two BYU students met Marius in the hospital and have helped get him medical treatment in the United States.

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courtesy photo Marius Dasianu before the fire.

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When mothers of the other burn victims in the hospital asked him if he is excited to come to America, Marius told them he couldn’t wait to get new hands.

Last November, 9-year-old Marius Dasianu woke up, saw flames and jumped out his window. The fire killed both his parents and left him with burns on 75 percent of his body, including his face. Marius’s fingers were amputated because of the burns.

Thanks to two BYU students who met Marius in the hospital, he and his 18-year-old brother, Ionut, will arrive in Los Angeles from Romania on Monday so Marius can receive treatment for his burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Shriners are an organization based on Masonic principles of love, relief and truth. Marius may need up to eight years of treatment.

Shriners will cover all of Marius’s medical expenses. They serve children up to the age of 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate. The students and their families are raising money to cover the housing and travel expenses. They’re even opening their homes to Marius and his brother while they are in the United States.

Earlier this year, BYU juniors Ashley Ludlow and Jessica Free were spending the semester working in a Romanian orphanage and volunteering at the hospital where Marius was receiving treatment when they decided to throw a birthday party. Ludlow said nurses told the BYU students, who had noticed Marius alone, that the next day was his ninth birthday. The students gathered balloons, made a celebratory sign and learned to sing Happy Birthday in Romanian. After the birthday party, Ludlow and Free were hooked.

“That’s when me and Jessica were impressed with him and started going back,” Free said.

The two women started visiting Marius in their spare time, reading him books, watching movies and sharing candy sent from home. In time, they both knew they wanted to help, so they called home.

“We just kind of decided that it was something that we were going to do. None of us were sure whether it would work or not but we were sure we wanted to help,” Ludlow said.

Lynne Woodward, Ludlow’s mother, couldn’t get Marius’s story out of her head.

“I was shocked at the story. I felt really bad. As the days went by, I started losing sleep about it. The story started to just haunt me,” Woodward said. When Ludlow said she wanted to help, Woodward was proud of her daughter but skeptical of being able to make an impact.

Kristin Free, Jessica’s mother, was scrolling through e-mailed pictures of Marius when Jessica began to tell her the story of the boy who’d been burned so much and had no parents.

“From the minute I saw his picture, I knew we had to do something,” Kristin Free said.

The mothers began to assemble the team. Woodward called another daughter, getting her on board, and started writing e-mails and contacting organizations that could help.

After finding Shriners to help with the medical care, Team Marius had to negotiate Marius’s move to the United States. After proving they could take care of him and take care of his medical needs, the team had to find a guardian for Marius. Woodward said authorities in Romania were hesitant to give custody to his brother because he was so young, but they eventually won that fight, and everything fell into place.

BYU sends between 10 and 12 students to Romania each semester. Larry Nelson, an associate professor in the school of family life and a member of the Romanian Steering Committee, said many of the students want to help the children they work with, but this is one of the biggest projects.

“It’s hardly a semester that goes by we don’t have students who are just moved to do something,” Nelson said.

Ludlow and Free said they don’t know what drew them to Marius, and not one of the other children.

“I can’t pin it to one thing. You know, he just has an amazing spirit and this quality that makes us want to help him,” Ludlow said.

Both women said Marius cares about others more than he cares about himself and has a wonderful sense of humor.

“With Marius it was just a strong pull and a strong emotional tie, I think,” Free said.

Monday, Marius and his brother will land in Los Angeles, and Team Marius will be there to meet him. Members of the team have raised nearly $30,000 for living expenses, but are still looking for more to cover housing and care for him. More information can be found at TeamMarius.org.