1: What are you trying to accomplish?
2: What's your evidence that you can accomplish it?
3: How is it possible that you can provide an open heart surgery in Iraq for less than $1,000? Is that the full cost?
4: So is that the same thing as saying that my donation doesn't really make a difference? That the "up to 85%" funded locally by those inside Iraq is all that is really necessary to make this work?
5: Any other costs?
6: What is the bottleneck to more surgeries: money or skilled labor?
7: I'm skeptical of non-profits and charities because they always seem to be asking for more money. How can I be sure that Preemptive Love Coalition has "room for more funding" and that I'm not paying into a huge savings account, "Rainy Day Fund", or something similar?
8: Do you have enough volunteer surgeons available for unfunded Remedy Missions? (i.e., are there trips that you could fund if you had more money, or is there a labor bottleneck?)
9: Many heart surgeries require follow-up treatment (including additional surgeries). Do you have a way of providing these to patients?
10: How do you assess whether surgeries are completed competently and appropriately?
11: What is the rate of complications during and following surgery?
12: How do you assess whether surgeons are performing additional surgeries that they would have not had the funding or motivation to perform otherwise?
13: How do you assess whether surgeons are charging their patients for the surgeries you fund?
14: Do you follow up with the surgeons you've trained to assess whether they are correctly applying their training?
15: What information is available on the activities - and competence - of the surgeons you've trained?
16: Where do surgeons work after completing training? Do they serve poor patients?
17: How much do you spend each year on "program" expenses and how much on "overhead?"


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 Q: What are you trying to accomplish?

A: Train Iraqi heart surgeons and nurses so they can eradicate the backlog of tens of thousands of Iraqi children waiting in line for lifesaving heart surgery. [Back to Top]

 Q: What's your evidence that you can accomplish it?

A: Each year we continue to increase Iraq's total number of pediatric cardiac surgeries with new surgeries in Iraqi centers that would not - indeed could not - have been accomplished otherwise. Ministry of Health (MOH) officials speculate 500 surgeries were accomplished in 2009 (of which we provided 23 - 4.6% - outside the country). The addition of our 82 surgeries in FY 2010 - to the 500 baseline - for a total of 582 approximated surgeries, represents an increase created by PLC of 14% over 2009. In FY 2011 we anticipate increasing Iraq's total number of pediatric cardiac surgeries to at least 719 (or another 19% over FY 2010 directly attributable to our surgeons and our training).

Each year the local teams with which we work will become more proficient, and each year they will independently take on a larger case load than they could have the year before. None of these figures yet account for that additional output.

In March 2010 the Iraqi Ministry of Health asked us to expand our work to three additional sites. In May 2010 we began additional discussions about establishing a fellowship program in which international surgeons and nurses would take up residence in the Iraqi system to train locally for 40 weeks out of the year.

Our model does not rely strictly on volunteers because the level of need in Iraq outstrips what we could reasonably supply through volunteer labor alone. Accordingly, we set our budgets so as to actually contract the international surgical and nursing staff we need to accomplish our mission.

Sure, this increases the cost-per-mission (and thereby, cost-per-child) over early "mission" models in which volunteerism was idealized and training was not necessarily prioritized. But our contract labor + volunteerism model is inarguably the only way to create a nationwide quarterly training program and fellowships inside Iraq with international experts across approximately 6-8 surgical sites. Moreover, our model does not face the same sluggishness of learning that other surgery organizations suffer because we do not have the same rates of turnover; we have incredible consistency across our programs and missions. [Back to Top]

 Q: How is it possible that you can provide an open heart surgery in Iraq for less than $1,000? Is that the full cost?

A: The "less than $1k" numbers we routinely publish represent the amount in "program costs" we spend from our international donor money. The figure does not necessarily account for every single management, overhead, or fundraising expense.

Our total expenditures for FY 2010 were $188,919. We performed 82 surgeries during the same period for a per child total of $2,304 (though this data is a bit moot moving into 2010-11 as we abandon our very expensive "surgery exports" program(s) in Turkey, etc. and focus henceforth on more cost-effective in-country surgeries alone).

When all of our Remedy Mission partners are taken into consideration - including the Iraqi Government, medical companies that donate medicines and supplies, and local organizations - the real Remedy Mission cost to all donors is in the range of $5,400 - $7,000. Put another way, up to 85% of the total cost of a single surgical/training mission is now subsidized by local, Iraqi constituent institutions. [Back to Top]

 Q: So is that the same thing as saying that my donation doesn't really make a difference? That the "up to 85%" funded locally by those inside Iraq is all that is really necessary to make this work?

A: There is not a single site across Iraq for which our Remedy Missions are fully funded. If we fail to provide our 15-19% of the overall budget, Remedy Missions fail, surgeons and nurses do not get trained regularly, on-site audits from our international team do not happen, up to 20 children are delayed from receiving surgery, and a few may even die or become inoperable. Your role in funding the remaining 15-19% is as critical in the short term as any other entity. A single Remedy Mission is binary - it either happens or it doesn't. Your money makes it happen. But our goal is to continue to graduate all our programs so they are 100% funded locally in the next 5-10 years. [Back to Top]

 Q: Any other costs?

A: Our numbers per Remedy Mission do not account for "indirect costs," such as the cost (or value) of our volunteer medical staff from around the world, costs to local healthcare systems, the cost of a family to travel to the surgery site, the opportunity costs of lost income for families as they wait for surgery, etc. The reason we think it's important to note this here is because lifesaving is actually quite difficult. Building a pediatric cardiac surgery system for the entire country of Iraq is laborious and full of complexities. [Back to Top]

 Q: What is the bottleneck to more surgeries: money or skilled labor?

A: People often assume that the biggest need is more Iraqi heart surgeons. We could use a few more, but the real bottleneck is skilled nurses, technicians, and non-surgical physicians. A surgeon is only as good as his support staff. One of our biggest challenges is training pediatric cardiac intensive care nurses. To date, we haven't found a better model than our Remedy Missions through which we bring quarterly hands-on training to local nurses (and surgeons) in Iraq. Rather than exporting the nurses to Europe or the USA for training (whose medical systems barely resemble the Iraqi system), we train them with what they have on hand in their local environment. [Back to Top]

 Q: I'm skeptical of non-profits and charities because they always seem to be asking for more money. How can I be sure that Preemptive Love Coalition has "room for more funding" and that I'm not paying into a huge savings account, "Rainy Day Fund", or something similar?

A: For the record, we are skeptical of non-profits as well! In 2012 PLC needs $350,000 on hand at any given time to cover our cash flow needs for up to three Remedy Missions per quarter. We are still 30% under-funded against that goal. In addition to cash flow needs, we still require 15-19% funding on most of our missions after local sources contribute their portion; we have un-funded pilot programs in new cities where local doctors have been requesting our help (but where weve yet to woo local philanthropists or health directors); and we have research and social service initiatives through our Followthrough program that require funding at present because we have not yet sought local funding for those initiatives (seeing as how they relate mostly to our Monitoring & Impact Evaluation objectives). Please see our "Funding Gap" page to look deeper into our anticipated program costs, the sources of funding we are counting on, and the funding gap between the two for the next few years. [Back to Top]

 Q: Do you have enough volunteer surgeons available for unfunded Remedy Missions? (i.e., are there trips that you could fund if you had more money, or is there a labor bottleneck?)

A: Great question! We use a hybrid volunteer/staff model. Roughly 25-30% of any one of our Remedy Mission teams is employed by the International Children's Heart Foundation (typically the surgeon, scrub nurse, anesthesiologist, ICU doctor, and often a part-time ICU nurse). The remainder of the team typically comprises volunteer physicians, technicians, and nurses from across the world. Because the hardest-to-come-by positions are contract labor for us and NOT volunteers, we have never failed to run a mission for lack of personnel. We have only cancelled or turned down a request for a future mission due to lack of funding. [Back to Top]

 Q: Many heart surgeries require follow-up treatment (including additional surgeries). Do you have a way of providing these to patients?

A: Yes, we do. Our model dictates quarterly visits to each program site (a hospital inside a regional hub). Our reliance on local cardiologists ensures that the local team prioritizes and almost entirely sets the agenda for patient selection (within a development curricula) - after all, Iraqi doctors are the ones who are most intimately connected to the patients and their daily progress! When a local cardiologist sees a child who has either (1) deteriorated and requires another intervention or (2) advanced as expected to the next step of a complex, staged intervention, the child is prioritized for follow-up treatment. [Back to Top]

 Q: How do you assess whether surgeries are completed competently and appropriately?

A: Because we are a broker and play a combination administrative and financier role in the coalition of partners working in Iraq to develop pediatric cardiac care, we are able to stand in-between the local surgical team and the international surgical team (whom we contract as a third-party to train and perform surgeries in Iraq). If the local team or health directorate suspects a lack of competence in the international team, a cavalier attitude, or a single poor judgement call, our role is to be the go-between - to be the advocate for the local healthcare providers vis-a-vis the international surgical team.

Similarly, if the international surgical team feels pushed by the local surgical team to perform procedures with which they are uncomfortable or for which they think the local system is ill-prepared, they are able to refuse children for surgery and/or use us (PLC) as a go-between.

The checks-and-balance between the two teams helps us ensure surgeries are performed in a competent, appropriate manner. [Back to Top]

 Q: What is the rate of complications during and following surgery?

A: We report our in-hospital and 60-day mortality after each Remedy Mission. You can finds those numbers here. We also produce reports after each Remedy Mission detailing the trip, including data on intraoperative complications, post-operative complications, and mortality. You can find those reports here. We are also deliberately raising the funds necessary to help us bring our various heart hospitals into compliance with the International Quality Improvement Collaborative for Congenital Heart Surgery in Developing Countries. If this kind of quality improvement and reporting initiative interests you, we are currently looking for financial partners for our Followthrough program. [Back to Top]

 Q: How do you assess whether surgeons are performing additional surgeries that they would have not had the funding or motivation to perform otherwise?

A: Pediatric heart surgery in Iraq is almost nonexistent without our work. There are two active programs for relatively simple surgeries (one in Erbil and one in Baghdad). Local surgeons claim that combined they perform no more than a few hundred pediatric surgeries a year. In every location where we work, pediatric heart surgery is effectively nonexistent. Therefore, every surgery performed at our program sites (both when we are present and when we are not) are "additional surgeries" that they would not have had the SKILL to perform without the FUNDING we employed to train them in their local environment. [Back to Top]

 Q: How do you assess whether surgeons are charging their patients for the surgeries you fund?

A: Because we work in public (government) hospitals - and because healthcare in Iraq is provided almost entirely free of charge - it is widely known that any cardiologist, surgeon, or administrator seeking compensation for services is acting outside of Iraqi law. [Back to Top]

 Q: Do you follow up with the surgeons you've trained to assess whether they are correctly applying their training?

A: We see them quarterly in their local environment and perform real-time audits of their skills, recollection of past training, application of new techniques, etc. Additionally, our international surgeon remains on call at any time via phone, Skype, or email for consultation. [Back to Top]

 Q: What information is available on the activities - and competence - of the surgeons you've trained?

A: Because our Remedy Mission training program only began in late 2010 - and pediatric heart surgery at our sites across Iraq is the same age - there is still relatively little independent practice to report, and therefore little data on the activities and competence of our surgeons and their teams. But as they begin performing more surgeries independently, we are trying to align each site/surgical team with the International Quality Improvement Collaborative for Congenital Heart Surgery in Developing Countries (a data collection and tracking initiative of Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard University). [Back to Top]

 Q: Where do surgeons work after completing training? Do they serve poor patients?

A: As of Q2 2011 there was only one private hospital in Iraq (to our knowledge) providing pediatric heart surgery (and those surgeries were on the lower end of the complexity scale). Our work does not necessarily mean to exclude private hospitals as they continue to come online and become viable options, but at present the government system has a better equipped foundation for training local surgical teams. As we look to fully graduate our local surgical teams in the next 5-10 years, we imagine that most of them will stay in the public sector for all of the stability, pensions, and benefits of loyalty provided to those who stick with it. But, undoubtedly, some will seek positions at private hospitals (assuming private hospitals are willing to invest in the requisite capital purchases necessary to establish a credible program). In the public sector, rich and poor are served alike. In the private sector, poorer patients would be at an obvious disadvantage. [Back to Top]

 Q: How much do you spend each year on "program" expenses and how much on "overhead?"

A: As a rule, we do not adhere to the model that claims that "overhead" is somehow bad and "program" is somehow good. There are very bad program expenses. There are overhead expenses that are excellent investments. We agree with Paul Brest, President of the Hewlett Foundation, when he said, "Achieving a low overhead ratio drives many charities to behaviors that make them less effective and means more, not less, wasted dollars." Therefore, we spend as much on overhead as we need to accomplish our mission. The mission itself is our North Star - not arbitrary (even harmful) standards about overhead-vs-program expenditures. For the record, however, you can find a current pie chart of our expenditures here (and if you're into that sort of thing, you'll probably be impressed!). [Back to Top]

Jeremy Courtney Founder, Executive Director Twitter: @Jeremy_Courtney

“I'd love to hear any critique or questions you might have!”

DROP A NOTE OR DONATION BY MAIL: Preemptive Love Coalition 1300 Darbyton Dr. Hewitt, TX 76643 GIVE BY PHONE: To make a gift over the phone, using your credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover), please call +1 (806) 853-9131 during normal business hours. IRAQ OFFICE: +964 770-355-6298 (local)

Hussain: The Good News & The Sad

May 8, 2012 by matt · Comments Off 

Friends, Hussain’s surgery has been post-poned. That’s the sad news. Our lead surgeon’s foot is injured, and he needs surgery and rest. As discouraging as this is, it’s for the best because it will allow our surgeon to fully heal and then provide Hussain with even better treatment.

Now for the good news: Our goal for Hussain is 75% complete—we just lack $1,000!

Will you help Hussain make it to the finish line by donating toward his surgery? If just a handful of you give $10 and $15 gifts, he’ll be there. And anything you give beyond that goal will go toward helping other children at the next Remedy Mission.

It’s discouraging that something as small as a foot injury can keep Hussain and his friends from surgery, but we believe Hussain is worth the wait. Please continue to pray for Hussain and to wait for his healing with us.

As Communication Director, Matt Willingham spends most of his time trying to get the word out on PLC's work in Iraq. On the side, he likes reading stories, devouring the great food his wife cooks up, and DSLR camera work. He's also mildly obsessed with Twitter: @mehtin.

Meet Hussain!

March 13, 2012 by Cody · Comments Off 

On our last Remedy Mission inside Iraq, we were able to save the lives of seventeen Iraqi children! We also gave thousands of hours of training to Iraqi heart surgeons and nurses. But we ran out of time to save Hussain.

According to Iraqi doctors, it was illegal to help children with Down Syndrome under Saddam Hussein’s regime. Saddam viewed children like Hussain as a “waste of resources.”

But Downs children are God’s children, and they are important members of society. Today Iraqi doctors are ready to help save Hussain and so many more beautiful children with Down Syndrome. And we’re ready to help give them the training they need to do exactly that.

By giving Hussain his shot at lifesaving heart surgery, you will be telling him and so many others that they matter; telling them that we value them and that we’re in this together; telling them we care.

So, in honor of World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st, will you help us save Hussain and his friends by giving to our next Remedy Mission today?

Hussain is waiting! Give today to show that he and other Downs children aren’t a “waste of resources.”

Our Partners:

Cody Fisher is the co-founder and Development Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He moved to Iraq in 2007 where he met his wife and since then they've been waging peace and mending hearts across Iraq. His passions are photography, peacemaking, and food that doesn't come out of a can. You can follow him on Twitter: @candmfisher.

Remember Yahya? His Wait For A New Heart Ends Today!

March 3, 2011 by Cody · 1 Comment 

Remember this boy?

When we first met Yahya he was five years old and we were trying to send him overseas for his lifesaving operation.

The doctors told us that he needed a valved conduit – so we went in search for the piece that could save his life. We found it. The only problem was that the Turkish government was revising their import laws and the local supplier was out of stock.

Because we couldn’t bring Yahya and the device together to Turkey, we were forced to cancel his surgery.

Now Yahya is nearly six years old and he has still been waiting for his heart surgery.

Everything changed when Dr. William Novick told us that he could fix Yahya’s heart without depending on a valved conduit that was half way across the world.

Today he will create the piece that we hope will save Yahya’s life!

The best part (from a macro perspective) is that this is something he’s going to introduce to the local surgeons so that Yahya and all the other children in Iraq waiting in line for $7,000 devices don’t have to go overseas. Furthermore, whereas current devices certainly need replacement, there is a good chance this technique will allow the piece to grow with Yahya’s body. Best case scenario: Yahya may not need a re-operation like he would have from the expensive name brand.

Eventually, they might be able to insert valved conduits by the hands of their local doctors here in Iraq!

We’ve loved our journey with Yahya and today is a milestone for all of us. And all 38 of you who gave to his surgery!

It’s a milestone for Yahya because he’ll be given the surgery his parents have been waiting six years for.

It’s a milestone for the local surgeons because they will begin to learn a groundbreaking, life-changing technique.

It’s a milestone for you because you’re helping us create local long-term solutions to local problems.

Follow Yahya as he get his new heart TODAY!

If you’re on Twitter this week be sure to use the #RemedyMission hashtag to describe all the good news coming out of Iraq this week via @preemptivelove.



With help from our friends:

Cody Fisher is the co-founder and Development Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He moved to Iraq in 2007 where he met his wife and since then they've been waging peace and mending hearts across Iraq. His passions are photography, peacemaking, and food that doesn't come out of a can. You can follow him on Twitter: @candmfisher.

How Remedy Missions Are Inspiring Locals To Bring The Remedy To Others

February 28, 2011 by Cody · 1 Comment 

chain reaction: (n.) a series of events in which each event is the result of the one preceding and the cause of the one following

This is little Yasna.

She was born with a heart defect that keeps her lungs from receiving all the blood and oxygen that she needs to live strong.

At two months old, they had no idea about her heart problem but when she had to go in for an abdominal surgery the doctors noticed something wasn’t right with her heart.

The local doctors told her mother that she would need to save up to take Yasna to India for surgery. Already two months old, the doctors told her that she only had four more months to get her surgery until her condition would worsen and make her inoperable.

6 months passed and she had only a fraction of the amount saved up.

6 more months passed and soon she was 2 years old and the parents had come to live with the fact that their daughter was too old to be saved.

Last August, Yasna’s mother’s cell phone ran and she heard about a team of doctors coming in to bring a remedy for children exactly like hers - children others thought were inoperable.

She brought Yasna in for surgery but because of the amount of “inoperable” children waiting in line for their operations, the doctors ran out of time and Yasna had to go home without a surgery.

Because of YOU, that was only the first Remedy Mission of many and last week they were called to the hospital again…this time they were second in line for surgery!

I asked Yasna’s mother what it was like to finally hand her daughter over to surgeons that knew how to fix her heart. She said, “So beautiful.”

She continued, “One day, God-willing, not only will our doctors know how to take care of all the children here but our country will be the country who sends doctors and nurses to other countries to help their children.”

And so the chain reaction continues!

You’re bringing remedy which is stirring up hearts in Iraq to turn around and bring the remedy to others.

How will you keep the momentum going as Yasna goes into surgery today?

Join us on Facebook and follow her story!

If you’re on Twitter this week be sure to use the #RemedyMission hashtag to describe all the good news coming out of Iraq this week via @preemptivelove.



With help from our friends:

Cody Fisher is the co-founder and Development Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He moved to Iraq in 2007 where he met his wife and since then they've been waging peace and mending hearts across Iraq. His passions are photography, peacemaking, and food that doesn't come out of a can. You can follow him on Twitter: @candmfisher.

Mohammad Fwad had his Surgery After Months of Waiting; Resting in ICU as Mom Gives Birth to New Baby Boy

August 23, 2010 by Cody · 2 Comments 

A local surgeon – Dr. Amanj – assists in surgery in Iraq this week on cases he has been longing to learn about from Dr. William Novick of the International Children’s Heart Foundation

The wait is over, Mohammad received his surgery! His surgery was not entirely without “incident” as he bled for a little bit after surgery while local hospital staff scrambled to find the appropriate blood products to help stop his bleeding.

A depleted blood bank during the month of Ramadan – when there is a decreased likelihood that people would volunteer to give blood during the daylight, fasting hours – has been only one of our confounding complications this week. But working through these glitches are exactly what the International Children’s Heart Foundation team specializes in. Their final audit and advice report will be a great resource for local healthcare and government officials as they seek to develop their local solutions to these local problems.

In addition to news of Mohammad’s heart surgery today, the family was also able to celebrate the birth of Mohammad’s new-born little brother! While Mohammad was being prepped for surgery, his mother was literally being rushed to a hospital across the street to give birth to a little boy!

Right now, Mohammad’s mother is holding her new born baby and in just a few more hours she’ll be holding Mohammad with a newly mended heart thanks to you!

We love this story!

With you,

Remedy Missions are international pediatric heart surgery teams that we bring to Iraq to to perform lifesaving heart surgeries and develop the infrastructure for the future. If you’re on Twitter this week be sure to use the #Remedy or #RemedyMission hashtag to describe all the good news coming out of Iraq this week via @preemptivelove and @babyheart_org. If you’re on Facebook, “Share” this story with the button below.

Our Partners:

Cody Fisher is the co-founder and Development Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He moved to Iraq in 2007 where he met his wife and since then they've been waging peace and mending hearts across Iraq. His passions are photography, peacemaking, and food that doesn't come out of a can. You can follow him on Twitter: @candmfisher.

Mohammad Fwad’s Surgery Post-Poned until Monday; We Plan Future Remedy Missions to Eradicate the Backlog

August 22, 2010 by Cody · Comments Off 

On my taxi ride home tonight I thought through what needed to end up on our blog before we ended our day. Some days that’s an easy question to answer because of what happened, whether it was multiple surgeries to celebrate, or the full recovery of yet another child. Today, both of those things happened and we’re thrilled about it! But what made today hard was when we heard that Mohammed’s surgery was pushed back yet another day.

Mohammed, his family, and all of us expected his surgery to take place last Friday. Unfortunately, we couldn’t know how long each surgery would last and we couldn’t anticipate the local shortage of blood products; the limited supply of certain medical instruments; or an influx of emergency cases that have come seeking Remedy. In any case, Mohammed’s surgery was pushed to Saturday. Then it was pushed to Sunday. It’s 10:30 PM on Sunday night and Mohammed must wait yet another day to be admitted to surgery.

Mohammed is not being overlooked. In fact, it’s because our team from the International Children’s Heart Foundation refuses to overlook any child or settle for anything less than the best that certain children have required more time and attention than originally planned. It’s because of this team that each child has received a near perfect correction and followthrough each day, no matter what the expense and no matter how long it takes.

But that doesn’t make it any easier for Mohammed’s mother and father as they grow weary of waiting. It’s certainly not easy for two year old Mohammed who wasn’t allowed to eat or drink for 12 hours today as his surgery was delayed and then post-poned.

“When will you save my son?” I heard it repeatedly today. It wasn’t out of anger or bitterness, it was simply a mother who cares so deeply and longs for the healing of her son. If I was in her position, I doubt I would respond with such grace; especially if the person across from me couldn’t give an answer.

Mohammed is scheduled to receive surgery tomorrow (Monday), but even when he receives his surgery there are still so many more that are waiting and hoping for another Remedy Mission. Even if we were able to operate on 50 children this week, we would still have to turn people away at the door. If we operated on 1,000 kids, more would still have to wait.

It breaks our hearts a thousand times over, but at the same time it makes our hearts stronger. It strengthens our resolve and lights a fire within us to continue to do what we’re doing. We refuse to be content in a country that has a backlog of thousands of children who are in desperate need of heart surgery. We refuse to sit by and let them die. We can not accept the fact that there isn’t enough training among Iraqi doctors to save these children.

We believe that these Remedy Missions are the missing link we’ve been reaching for these last three years. And we believe we can work together with the people of Iraq and with the rest of the world to train Iraqi surgeons to care for their own so that we do not just address the backlog of Iraqi children waiting for surgery as we know it today, but rather work toward serving every child from this point forward who is born with a heart defect. We can help empower and strengthen local doctors and nurses and this first Remedy Mission makes it clear that YOU can continue to make this a reality.

Kids like Mohammed are the reason why we are already dreaming and beginning to plan future Remedy Missions across Iraq. And they are the reason we are raising money for not just one more Remedy Mission, but for dozens in the coming years.

So we are fighting for Mohammed and his parents today and we will fight for another child and his family the next day and we plan to keep on fighting until every Iraqi family has access to the lifesaving heart surgeries that their children need to live.

Will you donate below to make these parents’ beautiful dreams a reality?

With you,

Remedy Missions are international pediatric heart surgery teams that we bring to Iraq to to perform lifesaving heart surgeries and develop the infrastructure for the future. If you’re on Twitter this week be sure to use the #Remedy or #RemedyMission hashtag to describe all the good news coming out of Iraq this week via @preemptivelove and @babyheart_org. If you’re on Facebook, “Share” this story with the button below.

Our Partners:

Cody Fisher is the co-founder and Development Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. He moved to Iraq in 2007 where he met his wife and since then they've been waging peace and mending hearts across Iraq. His passions are photography, peacemaking, and food that doesn't come out of a can. You can follow him on Twitter: @candmfisher.

A Visit with Mohammad Made Reality Sink in for a PLC Intern

June 9, 2010 by Lydia · Comments Off 

Meet Mohammad, 2 years old and dying from heart disease.

Monday, some of the PLC interns and I went to talk with Mohammad’s parents about his health and their finances. Because of miscommunications, they’ve lost the $6,000 loan they thought they had secured for his surgery. They are now facing the reality that they can’t afford the surgery necessary to save their son’s life.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever been in a room with someone who was literally dying. I never expected the first time to be a 2-year-old Iraqi boy.

The Iraqis in this area are huge on hospitality. Before we left, the family gave us plates of grapes and cucumbers. It was humbling to receive so much from people who have so little.

Its hard to know how to respond to little Mohammad, who weighs less than 20 pounds and has not gained weight in over a year. In my own life I would dismiss it by saying “Don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’ll all work out.” and rely on my insurance company, parent’s wallet, extended family’s gifts, and a strong network of prayer. So, I am inclined to think that any situation, no matter how destitute, will eventually be made right.

It’s hard to fully grasp that for Mohammad and his parents that is not necessarily the case. Right now, they’re relying heavily on PLC to take their son to surgery, to save his life. But even that might not be enough. His medicine has become more complicated, mostly because he refuses to take it (I guess 2-year-olds are the same everywhere), and their money has nearly run out. This family has no “fallback plan”, no money set aside for emergencies.

So pray for Mohammad. Pray for his parents and their financial capability. Because I know a lot of 2-year-olds, but now I know one more. And so do you.

Donate the amount of your choice by entering it in the field below. All donations will help send Mohammad (and any others in his group) to life-saving heart surgery. Donation:

Lydia Bullock wrote and photographed for us during the 2010 summer internship and then again for 7 months in 2011. She documented surgical missions in northern and southern Iraq. See more of her excellent work on our Flickr stream, or follow her on Twitter: @lydiabullock.

Leah’s Improvements Inspire Faith and Perseverance in PLC Family Advocates in Iraq

June 2, 2010 by Esther · Comments Off 

Last week I met Leah for the first time, and it was unforgettable. Leah is scheduled to leave with our next surgery group on July 18th. The beautiful green-eyed baby was the first Kurdish child I’ve interacted with since arriving for the PLC Summer Internship. I was blown away mostly because Leah taught me a lesson in faith when I was least expecting it.

Being a Down Syndrome baby with congenital heart disease, Leah has had to fight off the problems that both of those diseases have caused. This week, she’s winning.

Leah was hardly able to roll over at the last house visit, but Leah and her mom have been working on physical exercises designed to help build her muscles and after a month of pouring effort into improving her mobility the results were worth the wait. Leah began to show off some of those hard-earned skills by kicking her feet and cooing with rings in her mouth. Leah’s non-stop action included playing with her older sister, rolling to the other side of the room and back with incredible ease, and starting to prop herself up on her elbows while lying on her stomach.

It was beautiful to see that this little girl doesn’t know what it means to accept her current circumstances as her future reality. She is dying, and yet she continues to live out her life as it is right now – daily conquering the little things that stand in her way.

And although Leah has a hope of going to surgery and living a normal, healthy life, she’s oblivious to that. As a baby she doesn’t understand what any of that means, but she does know what it means to be tired of trying. And though she has undoubtedly felt tired, she pushes on.

And I started to think about how many times I limit myself when I feel overwhelmed with problems that seem too daunting to overcome. How many times do I focus on a problem to the point that I amplify it, instead of looking past it to a more desirable, attainable future?

For Baby Leah – and for all of us – obstacles exist to be overcome.

SHARE OF SURGICAL EXPENSE Enter the amount of your choice below to make a tax-deductible donation and get Leah on her way to lifesaving heart surgery this July.

Esther Perez, a PLC summer intern ('10), is spending this summer managing the daily blog and telling the stories of Iraqi children affected by congenital heart disease. The die-hard Texan loves spending her time learning local languages, talking about soccer and swimming.

HOPE DENIED FOR PARWA

May 17, 2010 by Jessica · Comments Off 

This is not a very hopeful blog post, but one that is an everyday reality for many families in Iraq. Today I was sitting with Parwa’s family in their home when we learned she was deemed inoperable last week by an in-country diagnostic procedure. A wonderful team of American doctors came to our city last week and gave free check-ups and catheterizations (a procedure to assess how well the heart is pumping blood) to the children here. That part isn’t the infuriating part. What is infuriating is that this 11-year-old girl missed her chance at surgery; at a “normal” life – and that’s a chance she will never get again.

She should have had surgery 5-6 years ago. Even surgery one year ago may have saved her.

The hole in her heart (VSD) should not have been terminal. VSDs should not be giving death sentences to eleven-year-olds.

From the time I first met Parwa I have loved her. She is an amazing little girl, smiley and full of so much life. Unlike other children with heart problems, she isn’t blue, she goes to school, she plays with her brothers and sisters. If you saw her walking down the street you wouldn’t know that she is dying. And this is part of the problem. No one knew. No one thought to check.

This isn’t a country where most children go to the doctor for wellness checks at 2, 4, 6 months, and every year after that. This isn’t even a country where most children are born in a hospital (and those that are born in hospitals are discharged within hours in many cases without a chance to really assess much more than overt birth defects). Very few provincial doctors know how to check for these problems until it is too late.

In this case, even if they had discovered it at birth, there wouldn’t have been anything the doctors here could have done about it with the medical infrastructure such as it is.

And now it is too late for Parwa. But it is not too late for so many others. Days like today push me forward to walk into more homes and doctors offices and help these little ones who need help now.

Parwa isn’t the only child I saw today. I saw Bawar, a precious two-year-old going to surgery in July, playing outside with his older sister and brother. I also visited Yousif and his ten siblings in their small village house, complete with cows and chickens outside. Bawar and Yousif still have a chance. They are urgent and need surgery quickly. And the best news is that the only thing standing in the way is money. Their parents understand their problems, which led them to appeal to us for help to get to Turkey for their surgeries before it’s too late. Now we are just waiting on the funds.

Can you help?

We plan to send Bawar, Yahya, Leah, Nivar and possibly a few others to surgery on July 18, 2010. All donations will be used to cover their airfare, housing, food, and surgical expenses.

Jessica Courtney lives and loves in Iraq as a co-founder and Family Services Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. She is also a mother of two children and is married to PLC's Executive Director, Jeremy Courtney. When not absorbed in caring for Iraqi children and sharing life with Iraqi families, she enjoys sewing and scrapbooking.

Baby Leah is Developing Nicely as We Anticipate a July Surgery Outside Iraq

April 30, 2010 by Jessica · Comments Off 

Visiting Leah’s house this week was so much fun. She is developing well and her parents continue to work with her everyday to help her struggle through her Down Syndrome. We gave her some stacking rings, which she picked up and chewed and wore as bracelets while playing with her older sister, Dia, who is two years old.

A few weeks ago Leah’s mom watched me with a careful eye taking in everything I was doing with Leah. She then repeated it all after me to get Leah to engage in play rather than just lay still – which is going to be such a critical part of her development. Now, thanks to this simple modeling session and her mother’s diligence to practice and work with her, Leah can now roll over, sit up with little support, grab and hold toys and giggle about it all.

She is gaining weight steadily and should be just the right size for her surgery in July.

Jessica Courtney lives and loves in Iraq as a co-founder and Family Services Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. She is also a mother of two children and is married to PLC's Executive Director, Jeremy Courtney. When not absorbed in caring for Iraqi children and sharing life with Iraqi families, she enjoys sewing and scrapbooking.

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	Matt Willingham is the PLC press secretary and writes primarily on politics, history, general updates and visual peacemaking through photography and film.
	Cody Fisher is a PLC cofounder and writes primarily on program development and peacemaking by giving us a lens into the lives of the real people we love.
	Jeremy Courtney is a PLC cofounder and writes primarily to emphasize our vision and values, including organizational and financial transparency.

Preemptive Love Coalition provides lifesaving heart surgeries for Iraqi children in pursuit of peace between communities at odds. We offer the untold thousands of Iraqi kids suffering from life-threatening heart defects a chance at the surgery they need to save their lives. With our world-class international surgical partners, we create long-term solutions by training local Iraqi doctors and nurses so they can sustainably save lives without our help.

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