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Airport…still

June 9, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

We were on the bus headed to the airplane when a Turkish flight attended came inside the bus and called for Faraydoon Hama - Shad’s father.

We both disembarked and began one of the most painful, maddening, frustrating discussions of our lives with the Turkish airline, the Turkish customs agents, the hired logistics company, and the hospital staff. We had all of 5 minutes to sort out the situation or be left behind.

The situation: Customs was requiring an obscure document from the Iraqi Consulate even though the Iraqi Consulate had assured us that everything we procured yesterday would suffice.

In the end, we were pulled off the plane and Shad’s body was held up in Customs another 5 hours. We’ve been rerouted to a different city in Iraq and are currently set to arrive at 1 a.m. this evening.

After all of that, we were informed that Shad’s body would not be on the flight with us. The logistics company ended up contracting a cargo company to transport the body.

All of this to say, Shad’s father and his family have seen insult upon insult added to great injury. I’m not sure there is much “fault” or “blame” to be cast here, but for a grieving father everything is seen in terms of fault and blame.

If all goes well they will meet their family outside the “gates” of their city at about 4 a.m. to begin the grieving process in earnest.

         

Shad & The Rest of Us Heading Home to Iraq

June 8, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

After immeasurable sadness and disappointment Shad’s father, Faraydoon; Faraydoon’s brother-in-law who made a special trip from Sweden to be with him in his loss; and PLC’s Jeremy Courtney are boarding a plane Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. in hopes that the logistics firm we hired will be able to complete all of the necessary procedures with Turkish Customs and our partners at Atlasjet airline so that Shad’s body will be able to travel home on the same flight.

We expect scores of people at the airport in Iraq tomorrow afternoon to receive Faraydoon and Shad’s body back and to formally begin the mourning process.

Shad’s life and Shad’s death have affected us each deeply… and it has clearly affected many of you as well. We are so grateful for the depth of your emails and condolences and encouragement that we not grow weary as a result of this horrendous set back but that we push forward for the sake of the thousands of other children in Iraq who - barring a lot of financial generosity and a miracle - could very easily meet a similar end.

         

Day of Prayer and Preparation for Shad Faraydoon Hama

June 8, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

Today is a day of pray and preparation for Shad Faraydoon Hama and the repatriation of his body into Iraq. Today, in accordance with Islamic rites and rituals, a Muslim cleric will be called upon to facilitate the washing of Shad’s body and it’s preparations for burial (which will likely occur sometime tomorrow afternoon, immediately upon arrival in Iraq).

Meanwhile in Iraq the men of Shad’s family have been praying for Shad and his father in their neighborhood mosque.

These are difficult days and many more are still ahead.

One of the preparations under consideration stems from the desire on the part of some to begin a memorial fund in Shad’s name as a way of funding heart surgeries for kids so that they do not have to wait ten years before they receive their chance at life. Above all, our concern right now is to honor Shad’s family and to not make a show out of his death. He was valuable and loved in his own right - regardless of whether his death leads to the benefit of others.

If we choose to act upon the calls and encouragements for a memorial fund, please know that we will have done so very carefully and in full consultation with his family.

         

Shad Faraydoon Hama (b. Nov. 18, 1999 - d. June 6, 2009)

June 6, 2009 by admin · 4 Comments 

Shad Faraydoon Hama passed away this morning after ten years of fighting the heart disease, blood problems, and the resulting pulmonary embolism that finally took his life.

Dr. Sertaç Çiçek and his team tried everything known in the realm of pediatric cardiology to save Shad’s life… but in the end ten years of suffering had taken too much of a toll on his increasingly fragile body.

On June 3rd - when Shad was still surprising everyone by how well he was doing - he and his father talked extensively about when he would be going home. His father insisted that they would leave on Saturday. But Shad - as though he knew something that no one else knew - maintained that he would not be ready to leave by Saturday… that they would return together on the Tuesday morning flight.

In the end, they were both right. Shad did leave this place today, Saturday, June 6th. And his father is scheduled to return to his home city with his son’s body on Tuesday, June 9th.

As we stood with his father by Shad’s bedside this morning just minutes after his death, the most joyous and saddest words I’ve ever heard with my own ears were spoken by Shad’s father to his little boy. He said:

My dearest little Shad, your life on this earth was so difficult and full of sadness. But it was such a joy for me to have you here. But now your life here is over; you are in Joy and Happiness forever. But now I am the one left in difficulty and sadness without you.

You were like seven sons to me. You were like seven brothers, too. My son! My friend! What will I tell your mother? What will I tell your grandmother? My eldest boy… how can I live without you?

Xwa hafiz, Shada gyan. Xwa hafiz.

         

Shad in Critical Condition after Two Emergency Surgeries

June 4, 2009 by admin · 3 Comments 

Ten year old Shad is back in ICU after a surprisingly wonderful night last night with his father up in their personal hospital room. Shad spoke with his dad a great deal last night about his excitement to return to Iraq, his eagerness to sit with his mom and play with his little brother and little sister, and his excitement over how many people were going to come visit him upon his return.

But if things do not turn around significantly - and fast - it looks as though many people will come to visit Shad in Iraq, but not in the way we’d all hoped and planned.

Shad’s blood does not respond well to anti-coagulants, being very viscous and subject to so many years of oxygen deficiency. Last night after a sudden bout of diarrhea it seems that Shad became dehydrated very quickly giving rise to blood clots which eventually blocked the flow of blood in his pulmonary artery. His oxygen level quickly decreased as he was rushed to the ICU.

He was quickly admitted to his third surgery in a week where doctors put him back on the “heart and lung” machine and began their third attempt at correcting years of damage.

But three hours after the surgery finished, while resting under heavy sedation in ICU, Shad went into cardiac arrest again and the doctors had to open him up in ICU and perform the fourth surgery on Shad.

As we write this (10pm, Istanbul, 06/04/09) Shad is still in critical condition but his father has lost all hope that he will pull through. Doctors are saying there is a chance, but it is clear that after ten years and four surgeries in one week the odds are severely stacked against him.

In the midst of great grief (real and anticipated) Shad’s father has been very grateful today to Dr. Çiçek, his team, the nursing staff, PLC, and ultimately to God - in whose hands are all things. He has also spent a lot of time telling us how much he has learned from his son about patience, kindness, and caring for others.

In any case, Shad was made to wait ten years too long for these surgeries. But it doesn’t have to be too late for other children in Iraq.

Shad is still alive. And so is our hope.

         

Serhang is Inoperable

February 23, 2009 by erin · 1 Comment 

We found out late Friday night that Serhang Yassen would not be receiving surgery while in Turkey.  Unfortunately, he was initially misdiagnosed and the doctors now know that he is missing his pulmonary artery.  This is the artery that helps regulate the blood pressure from the heart to the rest of the body.  As a result of this his blood pressure is very high.  The doctor said that Serhang would be unable to survive the surgery.  He and his mother returned to Iraq on Saturday.  We went to their village to see them today and Serhang was all smiles and hand shakes.  He loved his time in Turkey and thinks it is the most beautiful city.  His mother and father are very sad about the diagnosis and kept asking us today if there was any hope.  We cried with them and told them that we have not lost hope for Serhang; that we believe that the God who created him has the power to heal him and we would continue to pray for him.  We sat next to Serhang on the floor and put our arms around him and prayed for him.  He is the sweetest, most gentle child and I think he wants to marry our physical therapist some day.  His mom told us that while in Turkey when the doctors were having to do tests she would tell Serhang that if he would behave when he went back to Iraq he could grow up and marry one of us.  Remember Serhang and his family today, because we cannot forget him.

         

“I am an Iraqi Child” (Video) Posted

June 3, 2008 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

Check out the new video and share it with your friends as a way of advocating on behalf of Iraqi children in need! Thanks for your support!

Embed this video on your blog or website:

<object height="380px" width="430px" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.virb.com/external/video/47296/osJ6t9mrcaUWWuzti6ft36lpb1vDl07S"><param name="movie" value="http://www.virb.com/external/video/47296/osJ6t9mrcaUWWuzti6ft36lpb1vDl07S" /><param name="quality" value="best" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="salign" value="tl" /></object>

         

Hussein’s heart strong, while mother worries about unrest in Iraq

April 24, 2008 by bobby · Leave a Comment 

Last week Hussein was given the official clearance to head back home to Iraq! He had a bit slower recovery than the other kids have and required a pacemaker to maintain the health of his heart- but he’s pulled through like a champ! Hussein and his family are excited about his healthy heart, but are also bearing a great weight of concern about the safety of their city in Iraq. Our partner staff in Jerusalem wrote about Hussein’s mother:

“She had an emotional departure from our house in Jerusalem two days ago, and it was obvious when we visited them last evening in the apartment here in Amman that her heart was still full of conflict about leaving the people and the place where Hussein had received the help he needed. She spoke of how wonderful the people are, that there are many good people in Israel, and how thankful she is for the help they have received. And it is clear to those of us who first met her at the echocardiogram screening in October that the experiences they’ve had have changed the heart of both the mother as well as the son.”

The day Hussein and his mother flew back to Iraq:

“Hussein’s mother was quietly emotional during the time we spent together this day. They return to a very dangerous area of Iraq, and it is beyond the comprehension of most of us the extreme contrast she is experiencing at this time. While with us, she so enjoyed the freedom to go about the city and know she was safe… now she returns to the reality of a life I honestly cannot imagine. She was carrying so many things in her heart! I felt as we rode home from the airport it was as if a revolution was being birthed within her, one which perhaps represents the desires of many others in her nation who have not had the opportunity to experience the things she has. Please join me in praying for this beautiful mother and her son, and their family, as well as for the peoples in the land in which they live, to fulfill the good purpose God had when He created them.”

 

         

Hussein’s Sister Died of Heart Complications

November 8, 2007 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

This is cross-posted from our partner Shevet Achim’s site. We wanted you to hear this story so you could feel the gravity of the problem these famillies face.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Sister Died of Heart Disease
Filed by Donna Petrel

A sleepy Hussein arrived with his mother from the Save A Child’s Heart house this morning, along with Mustafa and his mother, for his echo and further tests. Yesterday Dr. Katz attempted to do an initial echo on Hussein, but none of us could settle him down enough for the echo to be done. Because it was late in a very long day, the doctor decided that waiting until today would be best for all of us, and dismissed Hussein to the SACH house. This morning Hussein was given a syrup to make him sleepy so he would not be distressed over the echo, and even though he arrived at the hospital already sleepy, this did not stop his fearful fretting for quite awhile. Yet when he finally fell asleep, he was peaceful during an hour-plus long echo by several doctors who were discussing his complicated case as they went through the examination. Hussein awoke before the end of the exam, and Dr. Tamir spoke to him gently about helping him grow up to be a big boy, which seemed to settle him back down so the exam could be finished to the doctor’s satisfaction.

During today’s exam when Dr. Tamir took some family information about Hussein, his mother told of the death of an older daughter who also apparently had heart problems. She told of how the doctors in Iraq could not help her after she was admitted to the hospital at the age of nineteen, and so after four months, the daughter died. She had shared with me in Amman that one of her children died, but she did not tell me the details. After hearing this today, it helped me realize why she is so anxious to know whether Hussein will be able to have surgery or not.

Later in the day as Hussein still waited at the hospital, this usually shy boy was content to go to the children’s playroom where they were making balloon animals. He also enjoyed playing with his friend Mustafa and visiting with Hedi in his room there. It was determined that both Hussein and Mustafa could return to the SACH house for the night, and come back for more testing later in the week. Tomorrow we hope to visit them there. Please keep praying for Hussein and his mother as they wait for the surgery which will give him a new heart, and give joy to the heart of his dear mother.

         

But Sometimes They Die

November 6, 2007 by Jeremy · 1 Comment 

This morning I (Cody) went and saw three families with a social worker from Kurdistan Save the Children. My emotions are all worked up… I love these kids more than ever.

I went to four homes but only saw three children because one little girl had just died before we could even tell her story. One child’s dad works as a guard for the local hospital…he guards a hospital that can’t even help his son. That’s not ironic… it’s sick.

One of the boys is 4 years old and he has until he’s 6 before he won’t be able to walk because of his heart condition (unless he has surgery.)

I am now more passionate than ever about telling their story and putting together some sort of photo book….but it’s really up to KSC and whether or not they can consistently send a social worker with me. I need them to take me to these homes and help me tell their story. I’m up for it though… we will just pray that they see the value of telling these stories.

Everyone deserves a voice.

         

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