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WE HAVE KIDS IN SURGERY RIGHT NOW! THROUGH THESE STORIES WE'RE INVITING YOU TO BE A PART OF THE NEXT LIFESAVING SOLUTION. GET TO KNOW THESE KIDS & PLEASE GIVE WHAT YOU CAN FOR THE NEXT GROUP! |
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Uneventful Days in a Hospital After Heart Surgery are the Best Kind
November 11, 2009 by awara · 1 Comment
Today was a down day… not much to report on Honya and Vary except that everything is going according to course. Because of the down day, some of us worked from the hospital while our American staffed worked from the guesthouse in Istanbul on some long-term projects for PLC.
But thanks to modern technology and the incredible access to WiFi at the Anadolu Medical Center, the staff from the guesthouse were able to “conference call” with the mothers and the two girls to check in on their well-being throughout the day!
Follow 9-month-old Honya on Twitter: @honyamahdi. Subscribe to Honya’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Honya’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.
Follow 2-year-old Vary on Twitter: @varybahman. Subscribe to Vary’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Vary’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.
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Awara Hassan Mama is a Regional Development Officer for the Preemptive Love Coalition in charge of creating local solutions to local problems in Iraq among his compatriots and for the sake of our constituents. Awara often travels abroad with PLC children to surgery and serves as a translator and a key cooperator between communities in conflict. |
Meer is Discharged and Headed Back to Iraq Tonight!
September 3, 2009 by awara · Leave a Comment
There are a few really exciting moments in this journey from selection to surgery: (1) the moment a child is accepted to surgery; (2) the moment they come out from surgery alive and well; (3) and the moment they get on the plane to go home are three of the big ones!
Tonight, Meer completes the hat trick. His family is eagerly waiting for him in Iraq, having called us multiple times to make sure everything is on track to receive their boy at the airport tonight!
As with every other child we’ve helped, we could not do this without you. It only took a week round-trip, but you have impacted a life, a family, a community, and a country forever.
Follow 15-year-old Meer on Twitter: @meermustaffa and through the Twitter campaign associated with meeting his urgent need #SaveMeer. Subscribe to Meer’s updates via RSS here. Follow Meer’s thread of longer stories (with pictures) on the PLC blog here.
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Awara Hassan Mama is a Regional Development Officer for the Preemptive Love Coalition in charge of creating local solutions to local problems in Iraq among his compatriots and for the sake of our constituents. Awara often travels abroad with PLC children to surgery and serves as a translator and a key cooperator between communities in conflict. |
Ramyar’s Family Decides to Forgo Surgery, Return to Iraq Tonight
August 30, 2009 by awara · Leave a Comment
Yesterday was the very difficult day that we all hoped we would have to face with Ramyar and his family. We hoped when the medical signs showed Ramyar to be “operable” it would mean that there was a pretty clear cut way forward and that all parties would feel equally confident about embarking on that path of surgical therapy.
Instead, even though the medical signs said he was technically operable, everything else said that the surgery would be a serious fight for his life. In this case, “operable” did not mean “desirable.”
So we were left at a fork in the road with Ramyar and his family: should we press forward with what might be a surgical salvation, or should we play it safe, enjoy the next few years with Ramyar, and walk out with the full knowledge that forgoing this surgery will consign him to a deterioration in his quality of life over the next few years until he ultimately dies at age six or seven.
The most complicating factor had to do with the lack of unity among Ramyar’s family as to what should be done. Those of us closest to the decision in PLC were leaning toward not doing the surgery… as was the mother… but the father in Iraq was insisting that we all press forward.
In the end, at 8 p.m. Friday night Ramyar’s father and mother agree amongst themselves (without any input from PLC) that they wanted to forgo the surgery and enjoy these next years with Ramyar with some sort of certainty as to what they can expect.
From every perspective it was a sad day… except the perspective that sees Ramyar reunited with his father and grandparents in Iraq able to live out the next few years surrounded by people who love him.
This is the first close call like this we’ve ever had to make. Until today, every child has fit comfortably into the “operable” or “inoperable” category and parents have been confident in moving forward based on the information they had available to them.
NOTE: As an aside on financial transparency, the family’s $2,500 that they contributed to the overall cost of what would have been his surgery has covered all of the costs of their airfare, housing, food, and diagnostic testing for Ramyar. PLC has not expended any of our internationally fundraised dollars on this screening/selection process and all of the funds we had budgeted for Ramyar will be redirected to a child in the near future.
Follow 4-year-old Ramyar on Twitter: @ramyarjafar. Subscribe to Ramyar’s updates via RSS here. Follow Ramyar’s thread of longer stories (with pictures) on the PLC blog here.
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Awara Hassan Mama is a Regional Development Officer for the Preemptive Love Coalition in charge of creating local solutions to local problems in Iraq among his compatriots and for the sake of our constituents. Awara often travels abroad with PLC children to surgery and serves as a translator and a key cooperator between communities in conflict. |
Meer Breathing, Eating, & Drinking on His Own in ICU
August 29, 2009 by awara · Leave a Comment
We were thrilled yesterday to find Meer laughing and joking with the nurses in ICU just hours after doctors intervened to address his urgent situation. Unlike other children we’ve seen recently, when doctors said “Cough!” (to get the lungs working on their own again) Meer responded gladly: “I’ll cough all you want! I’m ready to get back to Iraq and play soccer!”
The impact of this surgery on Meer’s life and family is going to be significant. We cannot thank you enough for all you do to make these surgeries happen!
Follow 15-year-old Meer on Twitter: @meermustaffa and through the Twitter campaign associated with meeting his urgent need #SaveMeer. Subscribe to Meer’s updates via RSS here. Follow Meer’s thread of longer stories (with pictures) on the PLC blog here.
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Awara Hassan Mama is a Regional Development Officer for the Preemptive Love Coalition in charge of creating local solutions to local problems in Iraq among his compatriots and for the sake of our constituents. Awara often travels abroad with PLC children to surgery and serves as a translator and a key cooperator between communities in conflict. |
Meer Comes Through Surgery With Perfect Scores - Resting in ICU
August 28, 2009 by awara · Leave a Comment
Meer had a great surgery today and Prof. Dr. Sertaç Çiçek and his staff at the Anadolu Medical Center in Istanbul, Turkey did a great thing in taking on his urgent case on such short notice. If all goes according to plan, Meer could be extubated and back in his private room as early as tomorrow or Sunday.
Stay tuned!
Follow 15-year-old Meer on Twitter: @meermustaffa and through the Twitter campaign associated with meeting his urgent need #SaveMeer. Subscribe to Meer’s updates via RSS here. Follow Meer’s thread of longer stories (with pictures) on the PLC blog here.
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Awara Hassan Mama is a Regional Development Officer for the Preemptive Love Coalition in charge of creating local solutions to local problems in Iraq among his compatriots and for the sake of our constituents. Awara often travels abroad with PLC children to surgery and serves as a translator and a key cooperator between communities in conflict. |
Meer is Undergoing Surgery Right Now
August 28, 2009 by awara · Leave a Comment
Meer’s case was pretty urgent so we’re encouraged to see him pushed forward to surgery so quickly by the staff at the Anadolu Medical Center in Istanbul, Turkey.
We should know more about how Meer’s doing in just a few hours… long, stressful hours for his family and all of us…
Follow 15-year-old Meer on Twitter: @meermustaffa and through the Twitter campaign associated with meeting his urgent need #SaveMeer. Subscribe to Meer’s updates via RSS here. Follow Meer’s thread of longer stories (with pictures) on the PLC blog here.
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Awara Hassan Mama is a Regional Development Officer for the Preemptive Love Coalition in charge of creating local solutions to local problems in Iraq among his compatriots and for the sake of our constituents. Awara often travels abroad with PLC children to surgery and serves as a translator and a key cooperator between communities in conflict. |
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