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Media Coverage of PLC by Former CNN Anchor & Oprah Radio Host, Daryn Kagan

July 2, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment 

Daryn Kagan spent over a decade as a CNN anchor and now heads her own media group in addition to contributing to other shows like Oprah Radio. After watching Daryn’s story on the Preemptive Love Coalition be sure to check out the rest of her site and all the encouraging stories found there.

         

Introducing the Shad Faraydoon Memorial Fund: $50k to Fund 10 Infant Surgeries

June 29, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Shad Faraydoon always stood a chance of being healed. Unfortunately, every day that went by throughout his ten year life was a day that further diminished his heart’s capacity to function on its own and oxygenate his blood.

By the time the Preemptive Love Coalition met Shad he was ten years old. We marshaled all the resources we needed to help Shad and in less than a month he was admitted to surgery in May 2009. Unfortunately, Shad did not respond to the corrective measures of the surgeries as we had all hoped he would. Too many years of living with his heart defects had hindered his body’s ability to operate as it was intended. A series of blood clots finally contributed to Shad’s death a week after his surgery.

We established this memorial fund with Shad’s family in order to fund ten surgeries for infants who will benefit most from early intervention. Shad waited ten years for his chance and every day made him a less likely candidate for life-saving heart surgery. In honor of Shad’s struggle and in hopes of using his beautiful life to help others we have established this memorial fund so that infants - unlike Shad - do not have to wait for life-saving resources to become available to them.

Our 2009 goal for the Memorial Fund is
$50,000 to fund surgeries for 10 infants.

A Glimpse of Things to Come

In May 2009 PLC set out to film the journey of three children to life-saving heart surgery with filmmaker Michael Dalton and photographer Foster (Matt) Addington. Shad Faraydoon was one of those children.

To our great sadness and surprise, Shad’s ending was much different than we had expected. Nonetheless, Shad and his father, Faraydoon, will feature prominently in the forthcoming full-length documentary. It is our hope that the anxiety and anticipation, the hope and hopelessness in Shad’s personal journey will be a compelling call to action so that children don’t have to wait in line ten years for surgeries that could otherwise save their lives.

         

Report on “Iraq: The Forgotten Story” Art Show in UK & Beyond (VIDEO)

June 18, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

On May 22, 2009, the Preemptive Love Coalition unveiled IRAQ - THE FORGOTTEN STORY at our inaugural event outside London, England. The Forgotten Story features the work of 6 Iraqi artists and tells the story of life in Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Regime through their eyes.

The above video was compiled by a Kurdish company out of London that attended the event.

All proceeds from events, donations, and sales of this art help the Preemptive Love Coalition give life-saving heart surgeries to Iraqi children and create cooperation between communities at odds.

         

PLC is Tax-Exempt!

April 13, 2009 by scott · Leave a Comment 

Just in time for tax season, the IRS has certified the Preemptive Love Coalition as a tax-exempt public charity!

That means that anything you give to PLC (i.e., not merchandise purchases) is fully tax-deductible! (This even applies retroactively to anything you’ve given all the way back to February 15, 2008.)

It’s cool to be a 501(c)(3)!

         

Hussein’s Story

January 8, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

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.

         

PLC Partners with Rosa Loves to ‘Save Hussein’

December 8, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Our friends over at Rosa Loves are making some noise with a new shirt they’ve launched in their line of charitable clothing. Sixty percent of the sale from each of their new Hope Transfusion shirts will help send little Hussein to surgery. Hussein’s story is also printed on the inside of the shirt so you never forget your penchant for peace.

Click over to Rosa Loves right now to participate in the Hope Transfusion.

Photos shot by Joshua Shirlen in Washington D.C.

         

2 surgeries already done!

November 13, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Rezhin and Tarza just barely arrived with our partner organization before they received the news that they could head right in for surgery! If you’ve read some of the other posts here you may have seen that some kids can have a lengthy waiting process until they can have their surgery. Rezhin and Tarza waited just one week before they underwent successful heart surgeries on November 10th. Both Rezhin and Tarza’s surgeries were relatively simple ones, according to the surgeons. They had the same heart defect called Atrial Septal Defect, which is a hole in the wall between the atriums of their hearts. The girls had no complications and were alert and awake following their surgeries.

Both girls are already out of the ICU and healing well. After their move out of the ICU yesterday both girls spent time together eating Doritos and M&Ms- which must mean they’re definitely feeling better! This is, of course, a big relief to their worried parents who have endured many years of worry over their child’s health and future. What a gift to these parents to have children who are now healing! How amazing that we get to be part of that too!

         

Shanaw smiling after surgery

October 2, 2008 by carrie · Leave a Comment 

Our partner organization writes about Shanaw’s successful heart surgery:
“This morning (Sept 30th) we arrived at the hospital around 11 a.m. to find Shanaw awake, extubated, and already able to drink small cups of water and slurp soup with little assistance. She said she hated soup and joked that she wanted hummus. Though she’s not able to move around too much yet, the irrepressible smile was once again on display, albeit painted around the edges with the occasional wince of pain.

Her post-op examination results and vital statistics all look very good and her blood oxygen level hovered around 97 to 99% which is great. She suppressed laughter with us several times - because it hurt - and spoke intermittently and with evident effort. She insisted that she wasn’t tired and didn’t want to sleep. From her reclined position on her bed in the ICU, she had a good view and took an avid interest in the flurry of activity all around her, which included an African child named Mercy, a 23 day-old baby awaiting surgery, and Ali, also from Iraq.

The atmosphere in the ICU was serious as always, but among our staff, Shanaw’s aunt, and Ali’s father, the mood was a bit lighter and there were smiles all around. Last night things were very uncertain as Shanaw had come out of surgery only to be sent back to the O.R. three hours later and have her chest reopened because of what turned out to be a loose suture. With morning, however, Shanaw’s prognosis was looking very good. While Shanaw’s aunt prayed outside (since it is the day before the end of Ramadan), we sat in the ICU and were thankful for her progress so far. Having one’s sternum sawed open and major arteries moved around is no small matter, and there is still a great deal of recovery ahead for Shanaw, presuming there are no further setbacks. We’re all hoping that she will continue on the path that she is on so that many others can have the blessing of knowing this little fountain of joy.”

         

waiting their turn

September 24, 2008 by carrie · Leave a Comment 

 

Hevi, Shawna, Kale and Sara- four young girls bonded by a very unique, but shared experience. Four hearts, all with different defects, coming from Iraq, holding out hope. All four of them have had all of their preliminary medical tests done and are ready and waiting for their heart surgeries. With a few surgeons gone right now and other children on the list ahead of them, it could still be a few weeks before their turn comes. And when you’re 12 and 8 years old, waiting is hard- especially when they’re away from their home country and their families- and they’re anticipating this very life changing event.

Many thanks to our partner organization who takes such great care of these kids and their parents during these long waiting times. We’ll keep all of you in the loop as these girls head on into surgery in the coming weeks. You’re part of this with them. Thank you.

         

Introducing Kids Klash!

September 14, 2008 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

In all of the recent excitement over the last couple of months about our internship program, expanding partnerships in the US, and, most of all, even more kids who are returning home with healed hearts, we’ve barely mentioned an exciting new product that will help the Preemptive Love Coalition fulfill its mission to fund heart surgeries for the no less than 3,000 children in Iraq who are dying on a waiting list.

Kids Klash are a great way to help younger kids connect with the lives of their global peers. Many of the kids on the surgery waiting list are between the ages of 1 and 6—the same age range that will be able to enjoy wearing Kids Klash. When a child has the chance to wear a great handmade shoe, it provides an opportunity to teach them about the wider world and the challenges of poverty and conflict faced by kids like them around the world. It’s not quite walking a kilometer in someone else’s shoes, but it’s at least a start.

Kids Klash don’t just help build perspective—they make a real difference, too. These shoes are handmade over the course of 20 hours per pair by village cooperatives, by prisoners seeking to rehabilitate their lives, and by victims of landmines seeking a living wage. Each purchase invests money in their economy. And, even more, each purchase helps to fund a heart surgery for one of the 3,000 Iraqi children waiting for the chance to live.

With a lower price (only $25!) and a more kid-friendly rubber sole (water and washing are no problem now), Kids Klash are a perfect way to change lives and save lives.

CLICK HERE TO BUY KIDS KLASH NOW!

         

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  CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE IN IRAQ

  
  
  
  

• RECENT POSTS

  • Media Coverage of PLC by Former CNN Anchor & Oprah Radio Host, Daryn Kagan
  • Introducing the Shad Faraydoon Memorial Fund: $50k to Fund 10 Infant Surgeries
  • Ranu Giving Others Rides on Her Bike After Her Successful February Surgery
  • Bruska Ready for School in the Fall After Successful Heart Surgery Last January
  • Roshna Surprises All by Passing Her Classes In Spite of Many Absences Prior to Surgery

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