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Resting Tonight Gratefully in Israel

November 29, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Today all four of the Iraqi boys and their mothers who came to Amman in the past two days crossed over into Israel. Although they are tired, they are glad to have successfully passed through the border. The crossings are particularly stressful for the families because they are entering this land they’ve heard so much about as an “enemy” of their people. And indeed, security is very strict at the crossing points, and seems to be getting tighter. The officers and passport control workers on each side are as comforting as they can be to the families while still maintaining the necessary professionalism and protocol which is required to fulfill their posts. The rest of the process in Jordan went smoothly, although there is no way to cross quickly with nine people, eight of whom are from Iraq! 

 In the Israeli terminal Aras was quiet but thoughtful.  He wanted to help carry the luggage, but it was hard for him. They made it to the hospital by mid-afternoon, still in time children’s initial examinations.

Aras Arrives in Amman, Jordan!

November 28, 2007 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

A few weeks ago Buy Shoes. Save Lives. took stock of our assets, our debts, our inventory, and our projected future needs and determined that it was time to give a significant chunk of our money to a child named Aras from the Kurdish city of Halabja in Iraq.

Halabja now stands as an emblem of suffering for the Kurdish people; the site of Saddam Hussein’s March 16, 1988 gas attack against Kurds in which 5,000 died in one day.

It felt significant and symbolic to make our first child the child of the city whose scars are carried on today by children who suffer heart disease - nearly 20 years later - because of the gas attacks of that day.

We were nine and younger in 1988, and yet we feel our hands are dirty and that we am somehow complicit in the problems and pains of Aras’ people. $5,000 cannot repair decades of hurt - and decades to come - but as far as feelings go, it felt good to give our money away to Aras and his family.

Today Cody escorted a very nervous Aras and his mother to the airport, where they flew for the first time, and landed many delayed hours later in Amman, Jordan. They were greeted by one of the many partners in this endeavor, Shevet Achim. Aras should be headed on to Israel later this week for surgery.

We are nearly speechless at how amazing this has been. And we’re fairly certain we’ve received new hearts in this process, as well.

Jordan to Israel

November 28, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment 

The group of children ready to travel to Israel was completed tonight when Aras and his mother arrived in Jordan. They had to leave home this morning to get to the airport for their flight which we were told would arrive at 6 pm. We were notified by our partners in Iraq that they were very nervous and didn’t know what to do, so we were planning quite carefully to be sure there were friendly faces on the ground to meet them at the airport.

Aras, is from the city of Halabja, where 5000 were killed in a notorious chemical attack in 1988, probably the most potent symbol of Kurdish suffering. Tomorrow Aras and his mother will cross into Israel tomorrow for his long-sought treatment for this heart condition.

Massive Dental Work Needed

November 27, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment 

The last time I met Hussein was at the Save A Child’s Heart house almost three weeks ago, and that’s where he has been since. This evening I went over there after my trip to Wolfson hospital and found Hussein in the midst of a roomful of colorful toys, and he seemed rather busy and torn between playing with two different toys at the same time!

The Save A Child’s Heart staff brought Hussein to the dentist this morning for a check-up, and it is confirmed that he will need massive dental work. It seems that Hussein’s poor dental condition is somehow related to his heart problems, and the Wolfson doctors have advised that Hussein should get his dental treatment before he is scheduled for his heart operation.

When I asked his mother how bad were Hussein’s teeth, Hussein gamely opened his mouth wide for me to peek into. All his upper front teeth are missing, and because of insufficient lighting to examine his oral cavity closely, I couldn’t make out if the teeth had dropped off or if they had never actually grown out properly. On occasions such as this, I wish I knew Arabic so that I could ask Hussein’s mother for more details!

Hussein hardly talks, but he is quite expressive in his own way. When I was about to leave the house, his mother told Hussein to wave good-bye to me, but he chose instead to give me his own version of a “Hi-5″ by thumping his little hand against my palm tirelessly.

A Little Google Help, Please…

November 26, 2007 by Jeremy · 1 Comment 

Tonight I searched the word “shoes” on Google and found the first reference to Buy Shoes. Save Lives. on page 80. I admit, it was a little disheartening.  

So this is a plea that you all go guerilla on Google and help catapult BSSL into the single digit pages of Google’s search for shoes.  Go to Google.com and type in the word “shoes.” Then browse the pages until you find the homepage for Buy Shoes. Save Lives. Do not forget to CLICK that link, thereby logging Buy Shoes. Save Lives. as your destination for your shoe search. 

If enough people do this, coupled with other traffic, it’s possible that we will start to receive more incidental traffic, sales, and surgeries as a result.  

Additionally, as you browse for “shoes” you will see many sites dedicated to eco-shoes, vegan shoes, and fashionable shoes. Not to mention shoes that somehow make you do good while looking good. Please go guerilla on those sites, as well, and hit the comment sections hard with references to BSSL, asking people to check us out while telling a brief blurb on our story.  

You guys own this thing… without you none of this happens. So thank you for prioritizes Iraqi children in the way you browse the web today. It’s a serious 5 minute contribution that just might make a difference in the world.  Sincerely, Jeremy and Cody 

Delshad Now Fully Funded!

November 19, 2007 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

Delshad, 5 years old

Delshad has a hole between the ventricles of his heart, and was singled out by Israeli doctors at the October screening in Jordan as a child who needs surgery in the near future, before pulmonary hypertension would leave him inoperable. His visa for travel has already been approved, and thanks to your continued advocacy and purchases, BSSL contributed almost 40% of the necessary funds and he will be headed to surgery this week! Sometimes we cannot believe this is actually working!

Introducing James Peel

November 15, 2007 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

James Peel is an early adopter of the Buy Shoes. Save Lives. vision. Through his music recordings, live concert events, and cooperative projects with Buy Shoes. Save Lives. , James is getting the word out and we’re happy to partner with him in the effort for a better Iraq. Check James out on iTunes or at virb.com/jamespeel.

Hussein’s Sister Died of Heart Complications

November 8, 2007 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

This is cross-posted from our partner Shevet Achim’s site. We wanted you to hear this story so you could feel the gravity of the problem these famillies face.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Sister Died of Heart Disease
Filed by Donna Petrel

A sleepy Hussein arrived with his mother from the Save A Child’s Heart house this morning, along with Mustafa and his mother, for his echo and further tests. Yesterday Dr. Katz attempted to do an initial echo on Hussein, but none of us could settle him down enough for the echo to be done. Because it was late in a very long day, the doctor decided that waiting until today would be best for all of us, and dismissed Hussein to the SACH house. This morning Hussein was given a syrup to make him sleepy so he would not be distressed over the echo, and even though he arrived at the hospital already sleepy, this did not stop his fearful fretting for quite awhile. Yet when he finally fell asleep, he was peaceful during an hour-plus long echo by several doctors who were discussing his complicated case as they went through the examination. Hussein awoke before the end of the exam, and Dr. Tamir spoke to him gently about helping him grow up to be a big boy, which seemed to settle him back down so the exam could be finished to the doctor’s satisfaction.

During today’s exam when Dr. Tamir took some family information about Hussein, his mother told of the death of an older daughter who also apparently had heart problems. She told of how the doctors in Iraq could not help her after she was admitted to the hospital at the age of nineteen, and so after four months, the daughter died. She had shared with me in Amman that one of her children died, but she did not tell me the details. After hearing this today, it helped me realize why she is so anxious to know whether Hussein will be able to have surgery or not.

Later in the day as Hussein still waited at the hospital, this usually shy boy was content to go to the children’s playroom where they were making balloon animals. He also enjoyed playing with his friend Mustafa and visiting with Hedi in his room there. It was determined that both Hussein and Mustafa could return to the SACH house for the night, and come back for more testing later in the week. Tomorrow we hope to visit them there. Please keep praying for Hussein and his mother as they wait for the surgery which will give him a new heart, and give joy to the heart of his dear mother.

Surgery Delayed for 30 Days

November 8, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Yesterday while at the hospital with the student group, we found out that Hedi would be treated with steroid medication commonly given for asthma associated with allergies. Today, he was not wheezing when I was there, and did not cough much either.

When I spoke to the doctor yesterday, we also talked about Hedi’s surgery. Dr. Katz informed me that Hedi would probably not have his surgery for about 30 days. This was a big disappointment for his mother, but we trust that the doctors know the best timing for each child’s surgery to be scheduled. There are several cases which are more urgent than Hedi, and the surgeon will be out of town to train doctors in another country next week. He cannot perform some of the most complicated surgeries and leave town, because he must monitor these patients closely, so the surgeries must be scheduled accordingly. Hedi’s is tenatively scheduled after some of the extreme cases, and this adds up to about one month. Had he not had the problem with the cough, maybe it could have been done more quickly.

Sister Died of Heart Disease

November 7, 2007 by admin · Leave a Comment 

A sleepy Hussein arrived with his mother from the Save A Child’s Heart house this morning, along with Mustafa and his mother, for his echo and further tests. Yesterday Dr. Katz attempted to do an initial echo on Hussein, but none of us could settle him down enough for the echo to be done. Because it was late in a very long day, the doctor decided that waiting until today would be best for all of us. This morning Hussein was given a syrup to make him sleepy so he would not be distressed over the echo, and even though he arrived at the hospital already sleepy, this did not stop his fearful fretting for quite awhile. Yet when he finally fell asleep, he was peaceful during an hour-plus long echo by several doctors who were discussing his complicated case as they went through the examination. Hussein awoke before the end of the exam, and Dr. Tamir spoke to him gently about helping him grow up to be a big boy, which seemed to settle him back down so the exam could be finished to the doctor’s satisfaction.

During today’s exam when Dr. Tamir took some family information about Hussein, his mother told of the death of an older daughter who also apparently had heart problems. She told of how the doctors in Iraq could not help her after she was admitted to the hospital at the age of nineteen, and so after four months, the daughter died. She had shared with me in Amman that one of her children died, but she did not tell me the details. After hearing this today, it helped me realize why she is so anxious to know whether Hussein will be able to have surgery or not.

Later in the day as Hussein still waited at the hospital, this usually shy boy was content to go to the children’s playroom where they were making balloon animals. He also enjoyed playing with his friend Mustafa and visiting with Hedi in his room there. It was determined that both Hussein and Mustafa could return to the SACH house for the night, and come back for more testing later in the week. Tomorrow we hope to visit them there.

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