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Hussein’s Story
January 8, 2009 by Jeremy
Hussein, a 3 year old with bright brown eyes, has been one of our more urgent cases and one we’ve been trying to raise funds for very quickly. You may have seen the banner “Save Hussein”. Here’s his story:
November 2nd- Hussein is often short of breath, and although his adorable smiles in these pictures do not show it, he will occasionally simply run out of energy and cry as his mother holds him awhile. His case is quite urgent; the diagnosis is DTGA, meaning he will undergo an operation to switch his great arteries of his heart. His mother is very anxious for him to get the surgery done. As we talked tonight about what it will be like for them at the treatment center, such as the food, and the room where they will stay, she humbly and with tears in her eyes said, “I don’t care if I have only tea and bread, just help my son have his operation.”
November 6th- During one of Hussein’s initial exams, while the doctors asked for some family medical history, his mother shared that her oldest daughter had died of a heart problem in Iraq, as the doctors there could do nothing for her. We can’t really imagine what she must be going through as Hussein is now also approaching treatment.
December 17th- Hussein undergoes a 7 hour surgery, but the surgeons weren’t able to complete the artery switch. Stress is high for his mother and she hasn’t been sleeping at night.
December 18th- Hussein’s 2nd surgery is successful. As soon as his mother sees him recovering in the ICU she notes how pink his skin is and how high his oxygen levels were reading. His heart is finally working properly!
December 24th- Hussein is blooming before our eyes! He’s playing with his mom and making great progress in healing. Now that Hussein is on his way to full recovery, the relief and joy in his mom is so evident.
January 13th- Hussein and his mother finally depart the treatment center and make their way back home to Iraq. What a long road this has been for them and their family. They return to Iraq with very joyful news and a very healthy son!
Thanks for helping us “Save Hussein”. For this 3 year old- it meant everything.
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Jeremy Courtney lives and loves in Iraq as a co-founder and Executive Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He's also the father of two spectacular children, and married to the lovely Jessica Courtney. When not absorbed in PLC work he can be found writing songs and singing about hope and future. |
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