It’s okay, neither did we!This is little Zain, and you helped give him a lifesaving heart surgery when he was only 2 weeks old. Now he’s 5 months old and already a rockstar because, on our last Remedy Mission, he became the very first child to ever receive an ‘arterial switch’ surgery inside Iraq(It’s a big deal, trust me!). Since then, he’s more than doubled his weight and now he’s growing, scooting, stacking and doing all the things 5-month-old rockstars were created to do.Zain’s father carried him inside the hospital today, ALL smiles, and wanted us to see for ourselves what the surgery had done. So, now we’re the ones, ALL smiles, wanting you to see what YOU have done for Zain and his father! Zain has no idea how big of a deal his surgery was — he’s probably just thinking about the next meal and wondering who’s going to hold him next, and we love it! All we care about is the fact that he never has to think about his heart defect again.
Just a few hours ago little Mohammed, Iraq’s first pediatric heart patient from Pakistan, passed through surgery with flying colors!From the medical stand-point, there is absolutely nothing wrong with his heart anymore. It’s completely fixed! Now he’s becoming a minor celebrity here in the hospital. Everybody wants to see the boy who came all the way from Pakistan to have his heart fixed. They better snap their photos fast, because Mohammed’s itching to get back to Pakistan to drive his jeep he’s been telling us all about!
There aren’t a lot of 17 year-olds working in intensive care units.But for Sara Khaled, it was all she’d ever dreamed of. Now, two years later, she’s still the youngest person on “the unit” and loving her job more than ever. She hurries around the ICU, checking on her patients and helping make them as comfortable as she can. Our international staff brag about how enthusiastic she is each day and how quickly she adopts new procedures. In a busy environment that can quickly overwhelm, Sara thrives:
“I’ve only ever worked in the ICU, and I don’t want to work anywhere else!”
She couldn’t stop smiling as she told me about her love for nursing. Especially caring for children and babies. “When a baby cries you can hold it and comfort it until it stops…I love that.” But she’s also just so excited about the local heart center. She’s excited about being part of something that’s growing in her hometown. She’s one of the first to be part of a new kind of nursing for Iraq, and we’re honored to be working alongside her!Original articles from our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition.
November 10, 2011 by Cody of PLC It was a few weeks back that I received an e-mail from a captain in the Pakistani military. His son, Mohammed, had a heart defect and he was looking for a way to save him. He was willing to travel anywhere and cross any border if it meant fixing Mohammed’s heart. Is there anything you wouldn’t do for your son? Other countries had offered to accept Mohammed for surgery, but the cost was high. Then he heard about the Remedy Missions taking place in Iraq and the opportunity for his son to be saved by the hands of Iraqi and American surgeons. Up until now, thousands or Iraqi children were sentoutside Iraq to be saved in other countries, but a child hasn’t ever been brought into Iraq for this kind of surgery. Mohammed would be the first. While other countries saw Mohammed’s surgery as another financial transaction, the Ministry of Health in Iraq removed every barrier that stood in their way and brought them to this Remedy Mission. Yesterday, I stood in the hallway talking with Mohammed’s dad and he brought up the name of our coalition, Preemptive Love. He started to share what that meant to him and his family and then he told me, “I believe that this act [preemptive love] is what we were created to do.” He went on to share how he’s been thinking about it and trying to understand how his life could reflect it even more. We kept talking as his son was playing soccer in the hallway, and then it struck me in a whole new way just how much a single act of love can impact a life. The doctors in Iraq could have turned them away. They could easily have justified it with their own backlog of thousands of Iraqi children waiting in line for surgery. But they didn’t. They welcomed him in and received their very first international patient from outside Iraq. Talking with the local doctors here, it’s obvious that this surgery has helped them change the narrative of healthcare in Iraq. For so long they’ve only been on the receiving end. They’ve always been the ones asking other countries to help their children. This was their chance to give back. Now they were able to even show their own people that, one day, Iraq can be a place where others come for help. In a few hours, Mohammed will be the first international patient to be treated inside Iraq.Stay tuned!
When we walk into another Remedy Mission, we’re not just walking into a hospital, we’re walking into the lives of families, children and new doctors and nurses who have come from all over Iraq to receive training. And that’s why we’re on the ground for each mission in Iraq – because we don’t want to miss out on the lives of those you’re impacting. Today our photographer, Lydia, sat down with a mother and her son, Hussein, (pictured above) and asked her if she could take his photo. She said, “Please take as many photos of my son as you want so that you can tell others how important it is for these teams to come here.” Her hope behind this photo was that others would see it and see the impact that they can make by supporting these missions. What continues to amaze me about the families we’re meeting this Remedy Mission is how every single one of them recognize that these missions don’t just happen on their own. They know that doctors and nurses from all over the world don’t just hop on a plane and show up in Iraq. Remedy Missions don’t just randomly pop up all over their country. They know there’s a community behind each mission and they know a lot goes into each one. Many donate their time volunteering so that missions can continue to come to Iraq. Many give sacrificially so that money is never the reason children can’t receive a remedy. Many help spread the word about children like Hussein who are born with heart defects and MANY are taking action this week to save his life. Hussein’s mother understands the impact of an image. She understands it because she understands the impact one individual can make. You continue to remind us of that every day.So start posting, tweeting, and telling your friends about this week’s Remedy Mission — let’s see what kind of impact we can make!
Pictures of Successful Surgery Patients from Our April 2011 Mission!
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 19, 2010 by Cody
This week, little five year old Shams Hadi died during her 12 hour operation. Shams was born with a combination of three congenital heart defects. By themselves, those three defects aren’t unusual among children here but none of the doctors or cardiologists had ever seen the combination of all three in one child.
In a developed country, Shams should have received surgery at three months. Her five year wait had simply done too much damage to her heart and lungs and by the time she saw the doctors that could cure her, it was too late.
The doctors were astonished she had lived this long.
But this week there was one last chance to fight for her life.
Before Remedy began, I thought about what I would write in this post. I came into these two weeks knowing that lives would be saved but also facing the sober reality that it might already be too late for some of the children we’ve met.
Even though these surgeries are just in time for some and too late for others, every one of these children is having their story rewritten.
Their stories all began with them being born in a country that didn’t have the doctors or hospitals that could save them from their disease. While there were remedies, they are all overseas and out of reach for all of them. Before now, these stories were ending with them still dying without any options.
Now, stories are being rewritten so that children in the north and in the south are beginning to see the remedy for the first time.
For many, it came just in time. For a few, their story ends with them not alone but instead surrounded by an entire team of doctors and nurses who gave it everything they had to save their life.
Shams’ story ended that way. It ended with her family being surrounded by a community who had grown to love them deeply.
Bringing remedy to Iraq doesn’t mean we make heart disease a thing of the past. It means that every child born with heart disease has access to the care that they need to fight it.
And that’s why, during days like today, we don’t lose hope. That’s why we honor Shams and her family by not giving up the hope that soon no Iraqi children will have to wait as long as she did to be treated.
Thanks for standing alongside us, in the joy and in the pain.
Thank you for continuing to rewrite the stories of children and families all across Iraq.
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 17, 2010 by Cody
Ritha had one assignment before he could go home. Blow up a latex glove, something that he could never have done before his surgery.
He kept blowing until the nurses had to stop him because it was about toPOP!
With flying colors, Ritha passed his test and was sent home with his father!
More latex gloves are being passed out and one by one, kids are getting to go home!
The ICU nurses hated letting Hassan go but there was no more reason to keep him from moving to the ward with his mother. Today, Hassan was freed of monitors and tubes and carried out to be with his family!
Beds are losing their patients and families are winning back their children as this Remedy Mission nears its end!
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 16, 2010 by Cody
Zahran decided she didn’t want to waste any time in the ICU after surgery!
A life-saving shunt was placed near her heart to increase the blood flow to her lungs. Before the surgery, she would struggle to breathe and the only thing her mother could do was to lift her legs up to ease the tension on her heart.
Today, her mother was able to carry her around the ICU before she was taken to the hospital ward to be with Fatima, Ritha, and Anwar!’
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 14, 2010 by Cody
“I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a country with good healthcare.”
Those were the words of a mother of two. Both were born with holes in their hearts. Her youngest, pictured above, is Zahran.
Zahran was diagnosed with heart disease when she was seven months old. A bleak diagnosis is all the doctor could offer them. That and the hope of treatment overseas.
Zahran’s mother kept repeating, “We could not find a remedy here in Iraq.”
What would be harder to hear as a parent? The fact that your child has an incurable disease or that there is a cure but it’s just out of your reach?
When there is a remedy and when it’s within reach of some and out of reach for others, just based on where they’re born, then it becomes an issue of justice, doesn’t it?
Like all issues of injustice, it requires people to come running and take action.
It requires people to do justice.
Today marks the 6th day of operations and Zahran’s set to be the 16thchild to be given what could be a life-saving surgery!
Because of YOU, Zahran’s mother can start to imagine what it’s going to be like to live in a country where the healthcare is strong enough to save her children.
What better gift could you give this Christmas than justice?
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 13, 2010 by Cody
Hassan’s surgery was a success!
When the doctors first looked at Hassan’s heart, he had multiple defects. When they were done with the operation, they had corrected each one of those defects and could only describe his heart as whole and complete!
Now Hassan is resting in the ICU, next to Ahmed, where the nurses continue to monitor how the rest of his body responds to his new and fully functioning heart.
Hassan’s wait for his surgery is finally over. Now all we’re waiting for is his return to his family.
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 13, 2010 by Cody
It’s not everyday you go to a place where they say it all began.
A place where they say the Garden of Eden might have been, where Abraham lived, where civilization sprung up along with architecture and the invention of the wheel.
We spent the day outside of the hospital, canoeing through the marshes on the Tigris River and meeting with local sheikh’s, eating lamb, drinking tea, and standing on the roof of the site that Abraham called home.
It was a complicated picture though, with military on every corner, and an AK-47 jammed in between the driver’s seat and mine.
Imagine trying to close your eyes and picture the Garden of Eden when police sirens and car horns continually bring every thought into submission.
It was a good change, to be out of the hospital and instead of talking about the future and trying to cast a vision for healthcare, to instead listen and hear about the history of the land we’ve stepped into.
I found out that the man who directs our security once lived in the marshes we were canoeing through. His family fled there, like so many, to hide from Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military. To save their lives they left their homes and cars for reed huts and canoes.
I also found out that some of the doctors and politicians we spent the day with were once revolutionaries who rallied local tribes and cities to resistthe regime.
From the time Abraham left it seems like the people here have been in one epic struggle for tomorrow.
But since the fall of Saddam they’ve been able to devote their resources towards development rather than just survival. Now these sheikhs and revolutionaries are the leading voices in developing health care,strengthening the school systems, and building stronger ties within their local communities.
The Middle East is a complex culture built on honor and with each day that we’re here, we see how they continue to honor those who have gone before them and also those who are following close behind. They’ve sacrificed so much to have today and they continue to sacrifice for tomorrow.
As hard as it was to try to imagine the past today, we got glimpses here and there. Sometimes it’s just as difficult to try to imagine the future but with each surgery and with each story we hear, we get small glimpses that let us know this is all going to be worth it.
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 11, 2010 by Cody
Meet Hassan.
Each time I sit down with the families, I share with them why we’re doing what we’re doing and why their stories matter. I tell them that the more people who hear their stories, the more who will begin to care, and the more who begin to care, the more who will begin to act. And GOD-willing, soon every child in Iraq will have access to the healthcare they justly deserve.
Hassan’s story matters to us.
Hassan is just 7 months old. When he was just 13 days old he came down with a high fever which led him to the doctor who diagnosed his heart defect. He has an enlarged heart among other defects. They traveled five hours to Baghdad to have another doctor look at him but the doctor could only recommend him to doctors in other countries. The doctor told them,“Not even in the tribes, do they have this extreme of a heart defect.”
They knew they couldn’t afford to go to another country so they never gave up visiting doctors inside Iraq, certain that there must be one who could save their son.
At last, an Iraqi doctor told them he knew how to fix Hassan. That week they traveled back to Baghdad to have the doctor operate on him but the doctor turned them away, telling them to come back the following week. They returned but were turned away again.
This happened nine straight weeks in a row.
Finally the doctor left the country, dashing all hopes they had for Hassan.
Hassan’s mother never gave up waiting for his return.
She continued to look after Hassan full time, quitting her job as a teacher. Hassan’s father served in the Iraqi military under Saddam Hussein but when he refused to take a man’s life, he was forced to find a way out.When the opportunity presented itself, he fled.
Soon after, he was caught and thrown in prison.
He was released after a year, only after being tortured until the point where he became mentally disabled.
His wife told us that he can’t even play with his children anymore.
This doesn’t take away the love his children have for him and Hassan can’t wait to be back home with his Dad.
Until then, Hassan knows there’s something in his heart that needs to be fixed and that day’s only hours away.
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 9, 2010 by Cody
This is Anwar. He’s homeless. He was also born with a congenital heart defect.
If you spend any time with Anwar and his mother, you quickly learn that they wouldn’t want any of those things to define them. Anwar would rather be known for his love for soccer. He’s in 1st grade but he can’t stand school, mainly because it takes him away from his father.
His father is a skilled farmer. They used to live down by the Kuwait-Iraq border and work on a farm where Anwar loved nothing else but to spend the whole day working alongside his dad.
Then the land ran out of water and they were forced to move further north.
When Anwar was one month old they found out about his heart defect.They traveled to Basra to see local doctors but they told them that they didn’t have the equipment they needed to save Anwar’s life. Even if they were able to buy the equipment, they still needed to be trained on how to use it. Regardless, they told them to just “wait a little longer”.
They went back every month to see if the machines arrived but for 6 years they were continually turned away.
Anwar’s only choice was to go overseas to a country that had the right machines and the doctors who knew how to use them. But it was a choice his family couldn’t even consider because of the cost.
Whatever savings they had was continually being put towards staying warm in the winter. If Anwar gets cold, his body begins to shake and his heart condition worsens. Because of that, all their money goes towards buying kerosene to keep the heaters burning.
This winter that kerosene bill may just be a little less because Anwar heads into surgery within the next hour! The doctors have the machines they’ve been waiting for and now they’re receiving the training they need to use the machines for the very first time!
Now, Anwar truly only has to wait “a little longer.”
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 9, 2010 by Cody
“I saw him, I saw him! I saw my son!”
Those were the words that Ahmed’s mother kept repeating over and over again, all the while carrying the biggest smile on her face. She had just been allowed to go into the ICU to see Ahmed, just a few hours after they finished his operation.
During the surgery, Ahmed’s mom let go of the anxiety that all the mothers in the hospital try so much to contain. She faced the corner of the room and wept while Ahmed was gone.
The tears only gave way to laughter and excitement after the nurses let her see for herself how strong Ahmed was becoming!
While all the mothers here relate to the anxiety of having a sick child, Ahmed’s mother is the fifth this week that can experience the joy of a successful operation.
But then again, watching all the other mothers in the room laugh and rejoice with her makes me think that her joy isn’t just being felt by her.
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 9, 2010 by Cody
Fatima is five years old and lives in a small village in southern Iraq. They say that it takes a village to raise a child. This couldn’t be more accurate for Fatima and if the childrens’ ward could hold a village in the waiting room, they would be there.
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 7, 2010 by Cody
Remember when you were little and people would ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up?
We all wanted to be doctors or astronauts, didn’t we? Being around the medical team from ICHF makes me want to give the next 8 years of my life to medical school, I admit it. If you’re in the middle of med school already, don’t give up. It’s going to be worth it. If you don’t believe me, come with us to the next Remedy.
What I’m learning more and more from this team isn’t just the importance of people wanting to become doctors when they grow up, but the importance of people wanting to grow up to teach and inspire others to become doctors. If one person becomes a doctor or a nurse, it’s a great thing.But if that one nurse or doctor trains others to become like them, and then they turn around and train more…who makes the greater impact?
This is one of the most beautiful pieces of Remedy. Teaching.
Dr. Bob Arnold is a pediatric cardiologist. He’s traveled the world training and instructing others on the best practices of cardiology. His first night here a man came up to him saying that he was one of his students that he taught when he was in Baghdad in the 1990’s. Now that student is helping complete Iraq’s newest cardiac center for children here in Southern Iraq.
Today I spent time shadowing Dr. Arnold as he took echos and continued teaching throughout the process. I spent a few moments with one of his new students, a young Arab doctor and aspiring cardiologist, Dr. Gaither. Dr. Gaither went on about the value of what he’s learned already even just after the first few hours. Then he started to talk about the importance of working with other countries. “Each country needs to work together”, he said, “we all have so much to learn from each other.”
That’s it, isn’t it?
We all have so much to learn from each other. People teaching one other.Nations teaching nations.
These two weeks of Remedy are profoundly shaping the lives of everybody involved. I guess it all started with someone, long ago, who wanted to teach someone else how to be a doctor.
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 6, 2010, by Cody
Once again, I’m in a new place witnessing things that have never been seen before - because of you.
Right now I’m overlooking the Tigris river, blogging from inside the Iraqi Vice President’s home. It used to be one of Saddam Hussein’s fifty palaces, and before that it was a palace for King Faisal. Now it’s the staging ground for the the city of Nasiriyah’s first Remedy Mission!
Last August, the combined efforts of the Kurdish Regional Government, Living Light International, Kurdistan Save the Children and YOU allowed us to welcome a medical team from International Children’s Heart Foundation to the city of Sulaimania, and we’re honored to be hosting another surgical team.
We call these missions “Remedy” because they’re answers for equipping hospitals, training local doctors, mentoring nurses, and saving the lives of children who no longer have to be sent overseas for a chance at life.
This time, we’re witnessing Remedy take place for the first time all over again in the city of Nasiriyah. Like most Iraqi cities, Nasiriyah boasts a rich heritage, perhaps the richest being the ancient birthplace of Abraham. And like all cities in Iraq, it’s growing and progressing in every way. While honoring their past they’re choosing to invest in a better tomorrow.
Saddam drained the swamps surrounding Nasiriyah, but now they’re reversing the damage and restoring the swamps to their former vitality.
Chemical warfare was used against the people of Nasiriyah, and now they’re building the hospitals necessary for treating the fall-out.
Saddam gave them eight mass graves, but now they’re choosing to build parks, hospitals, schools, and mosques in honor of their murdered friends and family.
One of those hospitals is the Nasiriyah Heart Institute, where over 20 children will be given life-saving heart surgery over the next 12 days!
Thanks to Living Light International, the Vice President of Iraq, the International Children’s Heart Foundation, and you…tomorrow will be the first day of another Remedy!
Medical Missions
Little Zain Comes Back To See the Remedy That Saved His Life
It’s okay, neither did we!This is little Zain, and you helped give him a lifesaving heart surgery when he was only 2 weeks old. Now he’s 5 months old and already a rockstar because, on our last Remedy Mission, he became the very first child to ever receive an ‘arterial switch’ surgery inside Iraq(It’s a big deal, trust me!). Since then, he’s more than doubled his weight and now he’s growing, scooting, stacking and doing all the things 5-month-old rockstars were created to do.Zain’s father carried him inside the hospital today, ALL smiles, and wanted us to see for ourselves what the surgery had done. So, now we’re the ones, ALL smiles, wanting you to see what YOU have done for Zain and his father! Zain has no idea how big of a deal his surgery was — he’s probably just thinking about the next meal and wondering who’s going to hold him next, and we love it! All we care about is the fact that he never has to think about his heart defect again.
Mohammed’s Heart Is Fixed!
Meet Sara, Our Youngest ICU Nurse
She couldn’t stop smiling as she told me about her love for nursing. Especially caring for children and babies. “When a baby cries you can hold it and comfort it until it stops…I love that.”
But she’s also just so excited about the local heart center. She’s excited about being part of something that’s growing in her hometown. She’s one of the first to be part of a new kind of nursing for Iraq, and we’re honored to be working alongside her!Original articles from our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition.
Updates from The First Days Of Our New Mission
WHY GENEROSITY IS ANOTHER SIGN OF HEALTH IN IRAQ
November 10, 2011 by Cody of PLC
It was a few weeks back that I received an e-mail from a captain in the Pakistani military. His son, Mohammed, had a heart defect and he was looking for a way to save him. He was willing to travel anywhere and cross any border if it meant fixing Mohammed’s heart. Is there anything you wouldn’t do for your son? Other countries had offered to accept Mohammed for surgery, but the cost was high. Then he heard about the Remedy Missions taking place in Iraq and the opportunity for his son to be saved by the hands of Iraqi and American surgeons. Up until now, thousands or Iraqi children were sentoutside Iraq to be saved in other countries, but a child hasn’t ever been brought into Iraq for this kind of surgery. Mohammed would be the first. While other countries saw Mohammed’s surgery as another financial transaction, the Ministry of Health in Iraq removed every barrier that stood in their way and brought them to this Remedy Mission. Yesterday, I stood in the hallway talking with Mohammed’s dad and he brought up the name of our coalition, Preemptive Love. He started to share what that meant to him and his family and then he told me, “I believe that this act [preemptive love] is what we were created to do.” He went on to share how he’s been thinking about it and trying to understand how his life could reflect it even more. We kept talking as his son was playing soccer in the hallway, and then it struck me in a whole new way just how much a single act of love can impact a life. The doctors in Iraq could have turned them away. They could easily have justified it with their own backlog of thousands of Iraqi children waiting in line for surgery. But they didn’t. They welcomed him in and received their very first international patient from outside Iraq. Talking with the local doctors here, it’s obvious that this surgery has helped them change the narrative of healthcare in Iraq. For so long they’ve only been on the receiving end. They’ve always been the ones asking other countries to help their children. This was their chance to give back. Now they were able to even show their own people that, one day, Iraq can be a place where others come for help. In a few hours, Mohammed will be the first international patient to be treated inside Iraq.Stay tuned!
The Hope, Dream & Imagination Behind A Photo (And How It Affects You!)
Pictures of Successful Surgery Patients from Our April 2011 Mission!
The Day Shams Received a Remedy and the Day She Died
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 19, 2010 by Cody
This week, little five year old Shams Hadi died during her 12 hour operation. Shams was born with a combination of three congenital heart defects. By themselves, those three defects aren’t unusual among children here but none of the doctors or cardiologists had ever seen the combination of all three in one child.
In a developed country, Shams should have received surgery at three months. Her five year wait had simply done too much damage to her heart and lungs and by the time she saw the doctors that could cure her, it was too late.
The doctors were astonished she had lived this long.
But this week there was one last chance to fight for her life.
Before Remedy began, I thought about what I would write in this post. I came into these two weeks knowing that lives would be saved but also facing the sober reality that it might already be too late for some of the children we’ve met.
Even though these surgeries are just in time for some and too late for others, every one of these children is having their story rewritten.
Their stories all began with them being born in a country that didn’t have the doctors or hospitals that could save them from their disease. While there were remedies, they are all overseas and out of reach for all of them. Before now, these stories were ending with them still dying without any options.
Now, stories are being rewritten so that children in the north and in the south are beginning to see the remedy for the first time.
For many, it came just in time. For a few, their story ends with them not alone but instead surrounded by an entire team of doctors and nurses who gave it everything they had to save their life.
Shams’ story ended that way. It ended with her family being surrounded by a community who had grown to love them deeply.
Bringing remedy to Iraq doesn’t mean we make heart disease a thing of the past. It means that every child born with heart disease has access to the care that they need to fight it.
And that’s why, during days like today, we don’t lose hope. That’s why we honor Shams and her family by not giving up the hope that soon no Iraqi children will have to wait as long as she did to be treated.
Thanks for standing alongside us, in the joy and in the pain.
Thank you for continuing to rewrite the stories of children and families all across Iraq.
Ritha Passes His Last Test Before Discharge & Baby Hassan Leaves ICU
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 17, 2010 by Cody
Ritha had one assignment before he could go home. Blow up a latex glove, something that he could never have done before his surgery.
He kept blowing until the nurses had to stop him because it was about toPOP!
With flying colors, Ritha passed his test and was sent home with his father!
More latex gloves are being passed out and one by one, kids are getting to go home!
The ICU nurses hated letting Hassan go but there was no more reason to keep him from moving to the ward with his mother. Today, Hassan was freed of monitors and tubes and carried out to be with his family!
Beds are losing their patients and families are winning back their children as this Remedy Mission nears its end!
Beautiful Zahran Passes Through ICU!
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 16, 2010 by Cody
Zahran decided she didn’t want to waste any time in the ICU after surgery!
A life-saving shunt was placed near her heart to increase the blood flow to her lungs. Before the surgery, she would struggle to breathe and the only thing her mother could do was to lift her legs up to ease the tension on her heart.
Today, her mother was able to carry her around the ICU before she was taken to the hospital ward to be with Fatima, Ritha, and Anwar!’
Gifting Justice to One Family at a Time: Zahran Goes to Surgery
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 14, 2010 by Cody
“I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a country with good healthcare.”
Those were the words of a mother of two. Both were born with holes in their hearts. Her youngest, pictured above, is Zahran.
Zahran was diagnosed with heart disease when she was seven months old. A bleak diagnosis is all the doctor could offer them. That and the hope of treatment overseas.
Zahran’s mother kept repeating, “We could not find a remedy here in Iraq.”
What would be harder to hear as a parent? The fact that your child has an incurable disease or that there is a cure but it’s just out of your reach?
When there is a remedy and when it’s within reach of some and out of reach for others, just based on where they’re born, then it becomes an issue of justice, doesn’t it?
Like all issues of injustice, it requires people to come running and take action.
It requires people to do justice.
Today marks the 6th day of operations and Zahran’s set to be the 16thchild to be given what could be a life-saving surgery!
Because of YOU, Zahran’s mother can start to imagine what it’s going to be like to live in a country where the healthcare is strong enough to save her children.
What better gift could you give this Christmas than justice?
Hassan’s Surgery Was a Success!
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 13, 2010 by Cody
Hassan’s surgery was a success!
When the doctors first looked at Hassan’s heart, he had multiple defects. When they were done with the operation, they had corrected each one of those defects and could only describe his heart as whole and complete!
Now Hassan is resting in the ICU, next to Ahmed, where the nurses continue to monitor how the rest of his body responds to his new and fully functioning heart.
Hassan’s wait for his surgery is finally over. Now all we’re waiting for is his return to his family.
Stay tuned…
Stepping Back and Looking Forward
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 13, 2010 by Cody
It’s not everyday you go to a place where they say it all began.
A place where they say the Garden of Eden might have been, where Abraham lived, where civilization sprung up along with architecture and the invention of the wheel.
We spent the day outside of the hospital, canoeing through the marshes on the Tigris River and meeting with local sheikh’s, eating lamb, drinking tea, and standing on the roof of the site that Abraham called home.
It was a complicated picture though, with military on every corner, and an AK-47 jammed in between the driver’s seat and mine.
Imagine trying to close your eyes and picture the Garden of Eden when police sirens and car horns continually bring every thought into submission.
It was a good change, to be out of the hospital and instead of talking about the future and trying to cast a vision for healthcare, to instead listen and hear about the history of the land we’ve stepped into.
I found out that the man who directs our security once lived in the marshes we were canoeing through. His family fled there, like so many, to hide from Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military. To save their lives they left their homes and cars for reed huts and canoes.
I also found out that some of the doctors and politicians we spent the day with were once revolutionaries who rallied local tribes and cities to resistthe regime.
From the time Abraham left it seems like the people here have been in one epic struggle for tomorrow.
But since the fall of Saddam they’ve been able to devote their resources towards development rather than just survival. Now these sheikhs and revolutionaries are the leading voices in developing health care,strengthening the school systems, and building stronger ties within their local communities.
The Middle East is a complex culture built on honor and with each day that we’re here, we see how they continue to honor those who have gone before them and also those who are following close behind. They’ve sacrificed so much to have today and they continue to sacrifice for tomorrow.
As hard as it was to try to imagine the past today, we got glimpses here and there. Sometimes it’s just as difficult to try to imagine the future but with each surgery and with each story we hear, we get small glimpses that let us know this is all going to be worth it.
One Family’s Longing for Remedy – Hassan’s Shot at Surgery
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 11, 2010 by Cody
Meet Hassan.
Each time I sit down with the families, I share with them why we’re doing what we’re doing and why their stories matter. I tell them that the more people who hear their stories, the more who will begin to care, and the more who begin to care, the more who will begin to act. And GOD-willing, soon every child in Iraq will have access to the healthcare they justly deserve.
Hassan’s story matters to us.
Hassan is just 7 months old. When he was just 13 days old he came down with a high fever which led him to the doctor who diagnosed his heart defect. He has an enlarged heart among other defects. They traveled five hours to Baghdad to have another doctor look at him but the doctor could only recommend him to doctors in other countries. The doctor told them,“Not even in the tribes, do they have this extreme of a heart defect.”
They knew they couldn’t afford to go to another country so they never gave up visiting doctors inside Iraq, certain that there must be one who could save their son.
At last, an Iraqi doctor told them he knew how to fix Hassan. That week they traveled back to Baghdad to have the doctor operate on him but the doctor turned them away, telling them to come back the following week. They returned but were turned away again.
This happened nine straight weeks in a row.
Finally the doctor left the country, dashing all hopes they had for Hassan.
Hassan’s mother never gave up waiting for his return.
She continued to look after Hassan full time, quitting her job as a teacher. Hassan’s father served in the Iraqi military under Saddam Hussein but when he refused to take a man’s life, he was forced to find a way out.When the opportunity presented itself, he fled.
Soon after, he was caught and thrown in prison.
He was released after a year, only after being tortured until the point where he became mentally disabled.
His wife told us that he can’t even play with his children anymore.
This doesn’t take away the love his children have for him and Hassan can’t wait to be back home with his Dad.
Until then, Hassan knows there’s something in his heart that needs to be fixed and that day’s only hours away.
Stay tuned…
Just “A Little Longer” for Anwar
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 9, 2010 by Cody
This is Anwar. He’s homeless. He was also born with a congenital heart defect.
If you spend any time with Anwar and his mother, you quickly learn that they wouldn’t want any of those things to define them. Anwar would rather be known for his love for soccer. He’s in 1st grade but he can’t stand school, mainly because it takes him away from his father.
His father is a skilled farmer. They used to live down by the Kuwait-Iraq border and work on a farm where Anwar loved nothing else but to spend the whole day working alongside his dad.
Then the land ran out of water and they were forced to move further north.
When Anwar was one month old they found out about his heart defect.They traveled to Basra to see local doctors but they told them that they didn’t have the equipment they needed to save Anwar’s life. Even if they were able to buy the equipment, they still needed to be trained on how to use it. Regardless, they told them to just “wait a little longer”.
They went back every month to see if the machines arrived but for 6 years they were continually turned away.
Anwar’s only choice was to go overseas to a country that had the right machines and the doctors who knew how to use them. But it was a choice his family couldn’t even consider because of the cost.
Whatever savings they had was continually being put towards staying warm in the winter. If Anwar gets cold, his body begins to shake and his heart condition worsens. Because of that, all their money goes towards buying kerosene to keep the heaters burning.
This winter that kerosene bill may just be a little less because Anwar heads into surgery within the next hour! The doctors have the machines they’ve been waiting for and now they’re receiving the training they need to use the machines for the very first time!
Now, Anwar truly only has to wait “a little longer.”
Stay tuned…
Fatima Takes Her Victory Lap Around the ICU
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 9, 2010 by Cody
One of the many unique characteristics about the surgical team from the International Children’s Heart Foundation, is how they view children.
They view them as being incredibly strong; more strong and capable than everybody seems to give them credit for.
Most times, they extubate immediately because they believe their heart and lungs will rise to the challenge.
Each time, the child is walking around the room within what seems to be just a few hours after the operation.
They do these things each time because they believe these children can handle it. They seem to draw out the strength and courage from each child.
Fatima is another glorious example of this. Today she did laps around us in the ICU, showing us more confidence with each step.
This is only a warmup for her return to her village. After all, it will be the first time they’ve seen her run!
Ahmed’s Mother Dances with Joy
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 9, 2010 by Cody
“I saw him, I saw him! I saw my son!”
Those were the words that Ahmed’s mother kept repeating over and over again, all the while carrying the biggest smile on her face. She had just been allowed to go into the ICU to see Ahmed, just a few hours after they finished his operation.
During the surgery, Ahmed’s mom let go of the anxiety that all the mothers in the hospital try so much to contain. She faced the corner of the room and wept while Ahmed was gone.
The tears only gave way to laughter and excitement after the nurses let her see for herself how strong Ahmed was becoming!
While all the mothers here relate to the anxiety of having a sick child, Ahmed’s mother is the fifth this week that can experience the joy of a successful operation.
But then again, watching all the other mothers in the room laugh and rejoice with her makes me think that her joy isn’t just being felt by her.
An Entire Village Waits for Fatima
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 9, 2010 by Cody
Fatima is five years old and lives in a small village in southern Iraq. They say that it takes a village to raise a child. This couldn’t be more accurate for Fatima and if the childrens’ ward could hold a village in the waiting room, they would be there.
Teaching Others the Remedy
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 7, 2010 by Cody
Remember when you were little and people would ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up?
We all wanted to be doctors or astronauts, didn’t we? Being around the medical team from ICHF makes me want to give the next 8 years of my life to medical school, I admit it. If you’re in the middle of med school already, don’t give up. It’s going to be worth it. If you don’t believe me, come with us to the next Remedy.
What I’m learning more and more from this team isn’t just the importance of people wanting to become doctors when they grow up, but the importance of people wanting to grow up to teach and inspire others to become doctors. If one person becomes a doctor or a nurse, it’s a great thing.But if that one nurse or doctor trains others to become like them, and then they turn around and train more…who makes the greater impact?
This is one of the most beautiful pieces of Remedy. Teaching.
Dr. Bob Arnold is a pediatric cardiologist. He’s traveled the world training and instructing others on the best practices of cardiology. His first night here a man came up to him saying that he was one of his students that he taught when he was in Baghdad in the 1990’s. Now that student is helping complete Iraq’s newest cardiac center for children here in Southern Iraq.
Today I spent time shadowing Dr. Arnold as he took echos and continued teaching throughout the process. I spent a few moments with one of his new students, a young Arab doctor and aspiring cardiologist, Dr. Gaither. Dr. Gaither went on about the value of what he’s learned already even just after the first few hours. Then he started to talk about the importance of working with other countries. “Each country needs to work together”, he said, “we all have so much to learn from each other.”
That’s it, isn’t it?
We all have so much to learn from each other. People teaching one other.Nations teaching nations.
These two weeks of Remedy are profoundly shaping the lives of everybody involved. I guess it all started with someone, long ago, who wanted to teach someone else how to be a doctor.
Dr. Arnold’s Student, Dr. Gaither
From the Green Zone
From our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition, December 6, 2010, by Cody
Once again, I’m in a new place witnessing things that have never been seen before - because of you.
Right now I’m overlooking the Tigris river, blogging from inside the Iraqi Vice President’s home. It used to be one of Saddam Hussein’s fifty palaces, and before that it was a palace for King Faisal. Now it’s the staging ground for the the city of Nasiriyah’s first Remedy Mission!
Last August, the combined efforts of the Kurdish Regional Government, Living Light International, Kurdistan Save the Children and YOU allowed us to welcome a medical team from International Children’s Heart Foundation to the city of Sulaimania, and we’re honored to be hosting another surgical team.
We call these missions “Remedy” because they’re answers for equipping hospitals, training local doctors, mentoring nurses, and saving the lives of children who no longer have to be sent overseas for a chance at life.
This time, we’re witnessing Remedy take place for the first time all over again in the city of Nasiriyah. Like most Iraqi cities, Nasiriyah boasts a rich heritage, perhaps the richest being the ancient birthplace of Abraham. And like all cities in Iraq, it’s growing and progressing in every way. While honoring their past they’re choosing to invest in a better tomorrow.
Saddam drained the swamps surrounding Nasiriyah, but now they’re reversing the damage and restoring the swamps to their former vitality.
Chemical warfare was used against the people of Nasiriyah, and now they’re building the hospitals necessary for treating the fall-out.
Saddam gave them eight mass graves, but now they’re choosing to build parks, hospitals, schools, and mosques in honor of their murdered friends and family.
One of those hospitals is the Nasiriyah Heart Institute, where over 20 children will be given life-saving heart surgery over the next 12 days!
Thanks to Living Light International, the Vice President of Iraq, the International Children’s Heart Foundation, and you…tomorrow will be the first day of another Remedy!
Stay tuned…
Pictures from Mission in Sulaymaniyah