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)

In a Word: “Aspiration”

June 15, 2011 by Lydia · 1 Comment 

Iraqi Kurdistan 2010. A classroom in Wshyary village school. Photo courtesy of Julie Adnan.

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.

Practicing The Art (and Reviewing the Basics) Of Taking Care Of Sick Children

February 25, 2011 by Cody · 1 Comment 

“Heart surgery is an art.” Dr. William Novick, ICHF Heart Surgeon

If heart surgery is an art, then a Remedy Mission would be the art studio. It’s the place where teaching happens and inspiration is born. It’s a place where masterpieces are created alongside artists.

But it’s an art that everybody in the heart center gets to play a role in. Whereas an artist can create a beautiful piece on his own, a heart surgeon can’t perform a flawless surgery without a team around him. When they work together and finish their part, the piece is carefully passed along where it’s taken over by the nurses in the intensive care unit.

Without a strong nursing staff, the masterpiece would never be completed.

Teaching all of this is an art as well.

In the same day a local surgeon is having his skills refined as he patches a hole in a heart and the nurses in the ICU are being taught the foundations of nursing.

In the West, we have benefited from governments who have been able to spend BILLIONS on health care, education, and creating awareness about best practices, and things like hygiene from the time we were in elementary school.

At Iraq’s lowest point under Saddam, the Ba’ath regime spent less than one dollar per person on health care each year. While other parts of the world were thriving, Iraq’s health care system – along with their doctors and nurses – weren’t given what they needed to keep up.

Our Remedy Mission comes at a pivotal time in Iraq. A time where they now have the opportunity to be invest like never before.

It was sobering when we heard that little Alawi is trying to fight off a bacterial infection in his chest, something that is easily caused in an ICU which doesn’t even have a sink or soap with which to wash your hands. Don’t worry, we’re trying to work with local officials to get that retrofitted!

Through our Remedy Missions we’re helping raise up local health care systems that excel in the complex but also in the fundamentals of taking care of children.

All of it goes into creating a masterpiece.

We couldn’t do this without a coalition that cared as much about this as you do!

You’re a part of the masterpiece.

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.

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.

#RemedyMission Trailer

August 15, 2010 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

There is no sound on this video… but you will hear the impact of your giving loud and clear by the end of next week.

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.

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.

Dad Beams with Pride as Nivar Enjoys Her Healthy, Happy Heart at Home in Iraq After Surgery

August 7, 2010 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

photo by Heber Vega

On July 18th Nivar left Iraq in urgent need of a lifesaving heart surgery. In the airport that day she almost passed out numerous times. We have known of children with heart defects dying in the airport on their way to surgery. It was a scary time.

Today Nivar is back at home in Iraq with a healthy, happy heart because of you! Her surgery on July 20th resulted in a total correction. And, of somewhere along the way she captured our hearts and the attention of thousands around the world!

If you are looking for change you can believe in, you don’t need to look any further than Nivar. She was a happy child at risk of losing her life when we met her. Within just a few weeks you came together to provide the money she needed for a lifesaving heart surgery. And now you have enabled her to be at home enjoying her newborn baby sister, playing soccer outside with her brother, and ready to start up school again with greater focus and energy in the Fall!

Wouldn’t it be nice to make that kind of impact every month? Wouldn’t it be great to go to work each day with a child like Nivar in mind as a way to focus on something greater than your job?

Why not become a monthly sponsor and join us in the biggest impact gift you can for kids in Iraq?

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.

Nivar is Clear to Return to Iraq with a Happy, Healthy Heart

July 26, 2010 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

Everyone was cheers and smiles today when we found out that Nivar has been given a clean “fit to fly” bill of health. Initially she was cleared to go home to her mom, older brother, and brand new baby sister in Iraq on Thursday, but seat availability on the flight has caused us to push her back until Saturday. Still, this is the moment! This is the moment we work for so hard – to see these kids well enough to get on with their lives. To declare that they don’t need us anymore – at least not in the same way they once did.

We could not have done this without you. I hope you have enjoyed seeing Nivar go from her village in Iraq to heart surgery and back. With a sparse staff in Iraq for Fall 2010, we will probably not have very many updates on Nivar in the coming months. But we will do our best to keep you apprized.

She is planning on being back in school – with a healthy heart and lots of energy! – in September! You’ve made this happen. You’ve given her her life back. You’ve given her energy and a chance to make a difference in the world. You’ve given her family love and hope. We are overwhelmed today at your kindness and compassion and the solidarity you’ve shown with Nivar’s parents.

With you,

This little boy, Yahya, still needs a few thousand dollars to cover the costs of surgery and travel from Iraq to Istanbul so he can experience the same life-change you’ve given Nivar. To take Yahya out of line and get him to Istanbul for surgery, please enter the amount of your choice below and click “Donate Now!”.

Follow Nivar on Twitter: @NivarMohammed. Subscribe to Nivar’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Nivar’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.

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.

Yahya’s Playtime with a Preemptive Love Family Advocate

June 5, 2010 by Sophia · 1 Comment 

The first time I wandered onto the Preemptive Love Coalition website, I was drawn to the images. The poignant photos of sick children laughing and playing made their personalities come to life. Delicately illustrated stories depicted the reality of their conditions and the urgency to help them. Already a very maternal person, I instantly wanted to pick them up, talk to them, play with them, comfort them, and ultimately help save their lives. Before this summer, I could only imagine how beautiful an encounter with one of these children would be.

Just the other day, I experienced the first of what I hope to be many encounters with PLC kids. Shy and nestled under the skirt of his mother’s headscarf, five year-old Yahya came into the PLC office. His sweet smile was masked by a veil of bashfulness and uncertainty, and I was eager to make him giggle. Bouncing balls, coloring pictures and shooting a rubber band gun helped me break the ice. I was essentially making myself look like a fool in order to get him to laugh, but it was all worth it to see the look on his face when he realized that he could relax; that he could play.

I didn’t speak the unique Kurdish-Arabic blend of his family when I played with Yahya, but I didn’t need to in order to communicate with him. Sharing the qualities of just about every child I have ever met, Yahya wanted nothing more than to feel comfortable and at ease so that he could goof around and enjoy himself. It takes few language skills to have playtime with a preschooler.

At five years old, Yahya’s short life has been filled with little playtime. Born with some of the most complex heart problems, Yahya’s grave condition set him on a path filled with physical malformations and potential social setbacks. But while we were playing, he was just a normal little boy waiting for a lifesaving surgery.

I can honestly say that my short time with Yahya is one of the most rewarding things I have done since coming to Iraq. Yahya is a very ill little boy, and I know that my loving him cannot save him. But playtime can do wonderful things for a child!

Our goal for Yahya today is to raise an additional $1,500 for airfare, food, housing, translation services, remaining surgery expenses and additional contingencies. Whether you’ve seen Yahya around before or this is your first time, help us go beyond meaningful play times to get Yahya the surgical therapy through which he will benefit so much.

Sophia Pappas, a PLC summer intern ('10), is passionate about living, loving and saving lives. While in Iraq, Sophie enjoys wandering the bazaar, trying local foods and playing with the kids.

Shwan Is Growing So Fast Now That His Heart is Repaired!

April 29, 2010 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

Photo by Heber Vega

It’s been awhile since we visited Shwan in his village near Ranya in northern Iraq after sending him to a much-needed surgery in May 2009. He has officially “graduated” from our Family Followthrough program and has grown a great deal, re-engaged in school, and increased his activity out in the streets and parks with other boys his age. He’s a soccer (football) fanatic – he even brought his favorite trading cards with him to surgery last May!

The free flow of oxygenated blood throughout his body now that the hole in his heart has been closed has allowed for much more physical energy and brain energy. He seems to really enjoy school now – his father is a mathematics teacher!

We do not do our work her so that we will be thanked or praised. But it sure does feel nice when people appreciate the efforts expended on their behalf and for their well-being. That’s one of the reasons that it is such a joy to visit Shwan’s family: they are genuinely grateful and it shows.

Photo by Heber Vega

The occasion for our visit had a lot to do with our friend Lawan Hawizy in London and his efforts to run in the Paris Semi Marathon to raise money for other kids like Shwan. Lawan’s brother, Salan, traveled with us to inspect our work and our relationships with the families so that he could help inform Lawan’s fundraising efforts and work himself as a Kurd in northern Iraq to raise money for some of these children. After our visit Lawan went on to run (and finish!) the Paris Semi and raised $2,000 for our February Surgery Group.

Many thanks to all who have given so that dear children like Shwan can enjoy their childhood, can see firsthand the benefits of learning to give your time and resources away so that others might benefit, and can learn of a world where hate is not the only option.

NEXT IN LINE FOR SURGERY

Unlike so many kids we see, Bawar has a condition that makes him a great candidate for a total correction. If we are able to send him to surgery in the next three months, he has a great chance of living a totally normal life. Bawar will hopefully be the 62nd child for whom we’ve provided surgery with your help! As you’ve seen with Shwan above, you really can make a profound difference in his life!

Do you intend on volunteering your time in the near future? May we suggest three ways to volunteer your time with the Preemptive Love Coalition to save children’s lives in Iraq:
	1.) Sign up for our newsletter to stay apprised of news and ways you can advocate on behalf of Bawar and others to save lives in Iraq. Name: Email:
	2.) Write a blog post, email, or old-fashioned snail mail letter to your friends alerting them to the situation facing Bawar and let them know that there are solutions available that yield results as fantastic as Shwan’s!
	3.) Send out a “tweet” or a message about us on Facebook, suggesting your friends check out Bawar’s opportunity to receive lifesaving heart surgery. (HINT: You can also use the “SHARE” button below.
	For more volunteering ideas send an email to cody@preemptivelove.org. To give, please use the fast and simple form below.

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.

Sara is Doing Great Back in Iraq One Month After Surgery

April 25, 2010 by Jessica · Leave a Comment 

Sara and her father came by our office on their way to a check-up with the local cardiologist, Dr. Aso Faeq.

It was a joy to see her and talk with her. She is doing great and is enjoying a little time off from school. We talked about picnics and the results of recent elections. They told us in detail of their visits to Deelan’s family, who also went to surgery in March. They amazed me with their love for this little boy they didn’t even know until they met at the airport on their way to Istanbul. It is great to see healed hearts, bright futures, and relationships formed (and/or sustained) across some recent – and some more historic – barriers between Turkmen, Kurd and Arab in the city of Kirkuk.

We ended our time with them celebrating with the fresh baklava and chocolates they brought to say “thank you.” Thanks to all of you Woodway college students Sara is alive and thriving with her newly healed heart.

Follow Sara on Twitter: @SaraMuaeed. Subscribe to Sara’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Sara’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.

ADOPT A CHILD

Churches, universities, and other organized groups were the backbone of our large fundraising efforts in 2009—and now we’re looking for at least 12 churches, mosques, synagogues, universities, youth groups, etc to adopt an single Iraqi child to raise life-saving awareness and funds on his/her behalf. Group goals usually range between $5,000–10,000—though we’ve seen junior high groups raise over $8k and college students pull together $30k! Email cody@preemptivelove.org or call us at (805) 245-4870 to discuss your group adopting a child for surgery.

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.

ADVOCATE OF THE WEEK

March 31, 2010 by Cody · Leave a Comment 

Meet PLC’s latest Advocate of the Week, Dony Costa.

I had the privilege of talking with Dony in the beginning of 2010. As Dony was sharing with me all that he’s doing to advocate on behalf of PLC, I was impressed, but as he started to share with me more of his personal story, I was blown away. Here’s an excerpt from one of our talks, see for yourself why Dony’s our Advocate of the Week:

Alright, Dony – tell us more about yourself. Who is Dony Costa?

Since I could walk I could skate. I was a very active kid, Ice Hockey being my passion ever since my first hospital visit in 1989 when the Los Angeles Kings Hockey team came in to visit kids who were staying at the hospital. I continued to play hockey until the age of 19 when I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. Within the first year, I was in the hospital receiving blood transfusions as the doctors fought to keep me alive on the surgery table. My heart was not strong enough to come off of bypass so that was when my first internal Pacemaker was implanted. I began to live a normal life, staying in sports, going to school just like the other kids until I had to have my pacemaker changed once every six years.

In October of 2008 I started to have trouble breathing so I went to my doctor to have it checked out. I couldn’t even fall asleep because it was so hard to breathe. It got so bad that I slept in the shower for about a month with hot water running so it would open up my lungs. (My Mom wasn’t too happy about that when she got the water bill!) Then I had my mom drive me to the ER. My heart was enlarged twice its size, almost a full centimeter which I guess is a substantial amount of ones heart to grow in the matter of months. I was rushed to surgery but because of how weak my heart was they couldn’t put me under all the way for fear of not being able to bring me back from the anesthesia. A Dual chamber pacemaker/defibrillator was implanted and yes, I did wake up.

My doctor gave me a year to live on the heart I had until I would need a transplant. My doctor told me I would be out of breathe if  I walked outside to get the mail. My doctor told me my heart was so fragile it could give out if something scared or shocked me. My doctor told me I would have to be put on disability because I could not work or go to school. All my doctors decided to let me go home on Christmas Eve because they TOLD me it would be nice to spend my last Christmas at home.

That year I decided to live.

What made you become an advocate of PLC?

The aspect I love about Preemptive Love is the sincerity of each case and that each one is taken seriously. I love that they not only help pay for the life saving procedure but also for the family to be there with their child. Going through what I did, I know my spirits would have been down to the point of maybe not getting better because my family wasn’t there. I can not stress that fact enough. And I love the follow up that PLC does with each child.

When you come visit us in Iraq, what will you tell these kids with the same heart condition that you have?

If I could sit down with one of these kids I would gladly tell them my story and tell them how important it is to have family around and keep your mind set high. I would tell these kids no matter how bad their condition is, that there is always hope, even for the lost cause cases like me. Finally I would tell them that I am playing Hockey. I am cycling. I am employed. I am getting ready to go back to school. I am doing all this on the same heart GOD gave me.

Never lose hope.

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.

Three Kids Headed Home with Happy, Healthy Hearts

March 10, 2010 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment 

This doesn’t look like the happiest group of people, but trust us, they are! It was 6 a.m. at an airport! Few are happy in that context!

It’s been a great journey for Muhammed, Baroof, and Sozyar. Both Muhammed and Sozyar were “urgent.” It was unclear whether Muhammed or Baroof would even be operable. And look at them today!

In our talks today with Dr. Resmiye at the Anadolu Medical Center she used words like “miracle” and “unbelievable” and “they won their lives back” to describe these kids.

Usually we try to keep a healthy balance of the “miraculous” and that which can be reasonable calculated according to the medical numbers. It’s hard to build a budget around miracles! But we are thrilled to celebrate GOD’s kindness in the lives of these children alongside the Turkish doctors who, themselves, have said that it is GOD’s doing and not just their own.

By the time this posts, Muhammed, Baroof, and Sozyar will be resting at home – in the city or the village – with their daddies and extended families who have been missing them so much.

As much as the surgery at this point, the fact that you’ve paid for round trip airfare through our partnership with Atlasjet Airlines for these kids is a great source of comfort, because healing means precious little when it separates you from the ones you love the most!

These children are now enrolled in the Preemptive Love Followthrough program. We’ll track their progress as Baroof goes back to school and Muhammed and Sozyar learn how to walk, and we’ll offer a number of services to them for the next six months (and often, much longer).

Followthrough Program With our Followthrough program we monitor a child’s healing and re-entry into their home culture, teach the importance of activity and a balanced diet, and address issues like racism and other radical ideologies. This amount represents the costs of medications, special needs, teaching materials, etc. Donation:

Follow baby Sozyar on Twitter: @SozyarHamdan. Subscribe to Sozyar’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Sozyar’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.

Follow Baroof on Twitter: @BaroofAbdul. Subscribe to Baroof’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Baroof’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.

Follow Muhammed Adnan on Twitter: @MuhammedAdnan. Subscribe to Muhammed’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Muhammed’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.

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.

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Preemptive Love Coalition provides lifesaving heart surgeries for Iraqi kids in pursuit of peace between communities at odds. We offer the 30,000 Iraqi children 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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