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The Former Vice President of Iraq, Dr. Adel Abdul Mahdi Visited Remedy Mission VII!

December 24, 2011 by matt · Leave a Comment 

A photo of H.E. Adel Abdul Mahdi shaking hands with Dr. Novick

We had an unexpected visit the other day from one of our biggest supporters, Iraq’s former Vice President!

With all the recent bad press about Iraqi politics, we’re encouraged by Dr. Adel Abdul Mahdi’s devotion to saving the lives of Iraqi children. He made our first Remedy Missions in southern Iraq possible, and even though his political role has changed, he continues to support our work by visiting children, encouraging doctors and advocating on our behalf.

A photo of H.E. Adel Abdul Mahdi visiting a child who is about to receive surgery.

As PLC's Press Secretary, Matt Willingham is bent on leveraging words and media to connect hearts and minds to Iraqi children in need. On the side, he likes reading old books, devouring the great food his wife cooks up and dabbling in DSLR video work. He's also mildly obsessed with Twitter: @mehtin.

In The News: “Birth Defects And Rubble Still Scar Fallujah, Iraq”

December 17, 2011 by matt · Leave a Comment 

A destroyed home in Fallujah, Iraq.

A recent article in Reuters highlighted the continued need in Iraqi cities like Fallujah. Having recently seen the need first-hand, our staff can confirm that the city’s infrastructure is still in shambles, and locals are blaming the residual pollution from chemical weaponry like depleted uranium for their city’s rising spike in birth defects.

That’s why we plan to return to Fallujah in 2012 to help save children and train doctors there. To help us go back, you can give to our Remedy Mission program here.

To read more of the original Reuters article, go here.

Photo by dividespace.

As PLC's Press Secretary, Matt Willingham is bent on leveraging words and media to connect hearts and minds to Iraqi children in need. On the side, he likes reading old books, devouring the great food his wife cooks up and dabbling in DSLR video work. He's also mildly obsessed with Twitter: @mehtin.

In the News: “Afghani Life Expectancy Rising As Healthcare Improves”

December 5, 2011 by matt · Leave a Comment 

An Afghani doctor cares for a child.
A few days ago, The Guardian reported good news from Afghanistan.

Yes, you read that right. In terms of life expectancy, things are looking up for Afghanis, and the main reason for this is improved healthcare.

God-willing and with your help, we hope to see similar reports like this for Iraq in the very near future. 2012 is set to be our most lifesaving-ist year yet–thank you for making it possible!

Be encouraged, and go read the rest of The Guardian’s article here.

Photo by The Canadian Red Cross. Taken at a hospital in Bamyan, Afghanistan.

As PLC's Press Secretary, Matt Willingham is bent on leveraging words and media to connect hearts and minds to Iraqi children in need. On the side, he likes reading old books, devouring the great food his wife cooks up and dabbling in DSLR video work. He's also mildly obsessed with Twitter: @mehtin.

PLC Staff Visit WMD Site in Northern Iraq

September 19, 2011 by matt · 2 Comments 

A chemical engineer waits to detonate the bomb in Halabja, IraqYesterday two of our staff visited Halabja, a Kurdish city where 8 people were recently hospitalized after a chemical bomb was unearthed. Locals point to this as the first material proof of the former Iraqi regime’s culpability for the March 1988 bombing of the city that killed over 5,000 people.

In the years after the bombing, many returning Kurds simply planted gardens or built houses over the bombs; the growth of the city paved over the explosives. Today, it’s difficult to know how many bombs lie beneath the city and what kind of threat they pose.

Halabja’s mayor, Adham Goran, explains, “Apart from that bomb, there are numerous chemical bombs in Halabja that have not exploded. But because they are buried under the surface of the soils, or they are under the ground in civilian populated settlements, we do not want to touch them.”

To read more about the bomb’s unearthing and detonation, see this article from Al Sumaria News in Iraq.

As PLC's Press Secretary, Matt Willingham is bent on leveraging words and media to connect hearts and minds to Iraqi children in need. On the side, he likes reading old books, devouring the great food his wife cooks up and dabbling in DSLR video work. He's also mildly obsessed with Twitter: @mehtin.

In the News: “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ramadan”

August 2, 2011 by matt · 2 Comments 

Ramadan Kareem, everyone!

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began yesterday, and TIME Magazine published an article on their website with a few interesting facts that you may not have known.

For example, do you know why Ramadan is such an important month for Muslims? Do you know the traditional fast-breaking foods? Some Muslims don’t even swallow their spit during fasting hours! To learn more, check out the TIME article.

And to all of our Muslim friends: what did the TIME article leave out? Use the comments section below to share more interesting tidbits about Ramadan with us!

As PLC's Press Secretary, Matt Willingham is bent on leveraging words and media to connect hearts and minds to Iraqi children in need. On the side, he likes reading old books, devouring the great food his wife cooks up and dabbling in DSLR video work. He's also mildly obsessed with Twitter: @mehtin.

In the News: “Rebuilt Iraq Hospital Plans Surgery On Infants”

July 29, 2011 by matt · 2 Comments 

The Operation Room for Remedy Mission IV in Iraq.

Yahoo! News recently released an article about the rebuilding of Iraq’s largest heart hospital. After being burned and looted during the invasion of Baghdad in 2003, the hospital was deemed “beyond repair.”

But they underestimated the doctor’s commitment to their patients and to their hospital.

Click here to read the entire article. This article is just one example of how Iraqi cardiac hospitals aren’t just burnt-out and “beyond repair,” they’re proof that you and I can improve Iraq’s medical infrastructure.

As PLC's Press Secretary, Matt Willingham is bent on leveraging words and media to connect hearts and minds to Iraqi children in need. On the side, he likes reading old books, devouring the great food his wife cooks up and dabbling in DSLR video work. He's also mildly obsessed with Twitter: @mehtin.

In A Word: After-Party

July 13, 2011 by Jeremy · 1 Comment 

Parzheen waited 5 years for a remedy, her surgery lasted a few hours, and her after-party will go on for a lifetime. Click on the video above to watch Parzheen’s journey from surgery to after-party!

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. Follow Jeremy on Twitter: @Jeremy_Courtney.

Noor’s Heart Is Mended And There Are Teethmarks To Prove It!

July 6, 2011 by Cody · 2 Comments 

Noor, a young Iraqi girl, chews on hospital equipment after a successful heart surgery!

The doctors fully repaired Noor’s heart!

She’s thriving in the hospital ward right now as she shows us a side of her that we’ve never seen before. The difference between the Noor before the surgery and the Noor now is unmistakable. Before, we could barely get photos of her awake and active, but now we can’t catch her holding still.

Little Noor has left her mark on all of us…including our hospital equipment! We admit that this is NOT how you show the doctors how well you’re breathing after your surgery. But her teethmarks are another good sign that Noor can’t wait to get out of the hospital and back to being a kid!

Our Partners:
Iraqi Ministry of Health International Children's Heart Foundation Living Light International

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.

17 Heart Felt Thank You’s Coming Your Way From Iraq!

March 20, 2011 by Cody · 1 Comment 

We’re just now wrapping up our fourth Remedy Mission in Iraq and we have 17 heart felt thank you’s to send your way from the families who got the chance to see their children receive the heart surgery they’ve been waiting for!

(Go ahead, you can stand up and celebrate. We did!)

Now what?

Now we do it all over again! All over Iraq. Until every heart is mended!

Why?

So that girls like Ala can receive the surgery that she needs to be a strong and healthy little girl!

Ala was on the schedule for this past Remedy but she had to go home because there wasn’t enough time to save her, like we all had hoped.

Now we’re doing everything we can to turn that hope into a reality.

YOU can help us save Ala by joining us and helping bring Remedy back to her!

It’s easier than you think. Just click HERE!

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:

Mending Kids International Children's Heart Foundation Living Light International Kurdistan Regional Government kurdistan save the children

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.

Parzheen Heads Home!

March 11, 2011 by Cody · 1 Comment 

We have a list of over 3,000 local children that are waiting in line for a life-saving heart surgery but today we watched as 3 more walked right off the list!

…and one of those was Parzheen!

Her name is now on another list that’s growing each day.

It’s not a backlog.

It’s not for kids who need to be sent out of the country.

It’s a list of all the children that have been able to receive the remedy here in Iraq! In the past month, over 30 names have been added to that list!

Parzheen’s heart is responding beautifully to the remedy and today, the doctors cleared her to go home.

Thanks for giving Parzheen the Remedy.

Thanks for your relentless love for the hearts of Iraq.

We love doing this alongside you!

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:

Mending Kids International Children's Heart Foundation Living Light International Kurdistan Regional Government kurdistan save the children

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.

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