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Nivar Plays Soccer in Iraq and is Reminded Daily of Her Need for Surgery
May 29, 2010 by Joshua · Leave a Comment
From the day I first met her in our office, what I remember most are her eyes. In the land of dark skin and eyes to match, Nivar and her hopeful, green eyes separate themselves from the rest.
Nivar is a young girl who feels the effects of her heart defects, a girl who is reminded daily of her need for surgery. Unlike some of our kids, who can live lives without many outward signs of their inward battle, the results of her defect is evident.
I went with Awara to visit Nivar and her family in the volatile Iraqi city of Chamchamal and was again reminded how I hate seeing the innocent suffer. While Awara stayed inside to talk with her family, I was outside with Nivar and her brother, playing with their futbol, as has become the norm.
We started to kick it around, allowing the futbol to distract us from the pain of this situation. We forgot about thoughts of her failing heart; that she was different from me and her brother. We forgot this until Nivar walked away from us and lied down on their swing.
At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of this. Did she just not like futbol? Did she not like me?! What was it? I asked her to come back and play with us, and she quietly replied, “Natwanim, helakim” (I can’t. I’m tired).
Then it hit me. She really couldn’t keep playing. Her heart couldn’t handle it. She had no choice but to sit and rest.
And this is when I again started to grieve. What did Nivar do wrong? I long for restoration, when bodies no longer fail; when children no longer fear their hearts; when all is made right. I look into Nivar’s strikingly green, innocent eyes and need someone to blame.
This isn’t fair; it isn’t right. I am weary of child after child being brought to us by hopeful parents, praying to God we can save their son or daughter. Today, I just need someone to blame.
Is this Saddam’s fault, like so many claim? The chemical attacks, the gassing of thousands, the testing of primitive nerve gas agents on abducted Kurds − is this all his fault?
Those bombs he dropped; those slow-falling bombs filled with chemicals designed to savagely destroy all things living − what about those? Can I blame them? Are they the root of these issues? Did those weapons ever realize their deadly poison would be seeping their way into the heart of a little girl named Nivar years later?
Could Saddam have looked into these green eyes and continued to follow through with his attacks?
Many say it’s his fault. There’s no way to say it conclusively. Today, needing someone to blame, I blame Saddam. But even this is not complete.
No, we must go further than Saddam. For even he was driven by something. I can blame only sin. As a follower of GOD, I grieve the effects of our rebellion. I acknowledge these things also break GOD’s heart, and I long for things to be restored. I come to GOD hopeful, believing his promises that he loves his children, like Nivar, far more than I am ever able to.
And so, I hope.
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SEND NIVAR TO SURGERY! Nivar has a four-fold set of heart defects known as Tetralogy of Fallot. At eight years old her growth has been stunted by lack of oxygen in her blood and subsequent lack of energy, activity, etc. But a total corrective surgery can still free her up for on-time development as she moves into her ninth birthday in September. Her father has gathered $3,500 from savings, friends, and family to help send Nivar to surgery! We need less than $2,000 to send her in July! Donate the amount of your choice below to get her on her way! |
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Joshua Gigliotti is a PLC Summer Intern ('09) turned short-term staff who spends a majority of his time with PLC taking exceptional photos of children in Iraq in an effort to humanize Iraqis and portray them as people full of dreams and hope. When his camera is not in-hand, Josh is often found in local tea houses with friends and also enjoys traversing the great outdoors. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @JoshGigs. |
“There are Few Things More Satisfying” - Reviewing a Year of Family Advocacy in Iraq
May 27, 2010 by Joshua · Leave a Comment
For those of you who have been following our blog this last year, you’ll remember this little guy! We went to visit him last summer in Chamchamal (the border city of Kirkuk) to talk through what was, at that point, his prospective surgery. Well, he had his surgery this past November and he’s doing great! We went to visit him the other day to check up on him and to visit with the family. Man, I love this little guy!
There’s something really beautiful about being here for a longer period of time− longer than the two-month summer internship which first brought me here in 2009. Now, almost a year later, I feel much more like a father, or an older brother, to these kids. I’m with them when they’re sick. I’m in their homes. I see them off to surgery. I welcome them home when their hearts are no longer broken. But what’s really important to me is that I watch them grow up, watch them as they live out the lives their repaired hearts now afford them. Kids like Danar really hit me.
He’s one of the ones I’ve been able to track the entire time. I was there when his family first brought him to our office. And I was there when we first visited his home.
And now, I’m here as he grows up finally able to do the things his heart once prevented him from doing. And there are few things more satisfying than this! I am part of a coalition. The coalition is not just the people in Iraq; it’s all our supporters. We’re all doing it. I am here because of our shared vision for the future of Iraq and on behalf of the Danars of this country.
The ability to track these kids through the whole process pushes me on − to see them back in their homes running and jumping after their hearts have healed. This is why we work.
For more information on how we plan to create this sort of impact in the lives of 30 children this August, please click to learn more about our Remedy Mission - a team of surgeons, doctors, and nurses we’re bringing into Iraq to perform surgeries and training this August.
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Joshua Gigliotti is a PLC Summer Intern ('09) turned short-term staff who spends a majority of his time with PLC taking exceptional photos of children in Iraq in an effort to humanize Iraqis and portray them as people full of dreams and hope. When his camera is not in-hand, Josh is often found in local tea houses with friends and also enjoys traversing the great outdoors. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @JoshGigs. |
Adventuresaurus Collective - Advocates of the Week
May 19, 2010 by Joshua · Leave a Comment
Meet Kelly Nowels and the Adventursaurus Collective.
Ironically, I’m introducing to you to the very one who introduced me to the Preemptive Love Coalition. Kelly and I both went to Cedarville University where, given the small nature of the campus, we eventually met. I remember him one day wearing a shirt that caught my eye. It read very simply: Buy Shoes. Save Lives.
I was intrigued. I asked him what it was about and it was then I first heard about the work of the organization I find myself working with today.
Kelly and two friends - Sammy Starr and Michael Beight - are preparing to bike through Europe to raise money to save the life of Mohammad Fwad. It’s a pretty big undertaking, so we were eager to name them our ADVOCATES OF THE WEEK. Here is my interview with Kelly:
PLC: Who is Kelly Nowels?
Kelly Nowels: I’m an ordinary man but I have an extraordinary maker.
PLC: What is the Adventuresaurus Collective?
Kelly Nowels: The Adventuresaurus Collective formed in the spring of 2009 when Sammy, Michael, and myself started brainstorming our next big adventure. We would ride our bikes down to the town bakery every week and eat doughnuts and muffins while we dreamed of the possibilities. We joined together because we couldn’t stand the thought of living an ordinary life. We wanted to squeeze all the energy out of youth and smear today on our faces until the stories run down to our feet and the setting sun is extinguished by the distant mountains.
The cool thing was, as soon as we decided we were going to ride bikes across Europe, that was it. There was no uncertainty about our commitment. Nobody said “well that sounds fun let me check my schedule.” It was more like, “Yes we’re going, done. I’ll build my schedule around this.”
This journey will be our first official project, but we’ve had plenty of adventures together before. Sammy and I have camped at the bottom of the Grand Canyon in a thunderstorm and driven across the country in a car with a broken window. For New Years eve the three of us ventured to the eastern-most point in Maine, shot fireworks over the ocean, slept in a collapsed tent under six inches of snow and woke up for the sunrise.
Michael Beight is [the] thoughtful and resourceful member of the group. I love his easygoing nature about things. Sleeping on park benches doesn’t faze him and I think I’ve never heard him complain about the circumstances, even when they might be pretty crummy. Mike worked 12 hour graveyard shifts at a factory last summer to save up for this trip. A picture of the Alps taped up at his work station was sometimes the only thing keeping him going. I can’t get enough of Mike’s enthusiasm.
Sammy Starr is our wonderful engineer friend. He’s the kind of guy who makes you mad because he’s good at everything he picks up. Sammy might come off as shy but don’t let the quietness fool you. His wit is razor sharp and his subtle humor has had the whole room laughing more than a few times. I love Sammy because he’s always up for a scenic detour. Take the long way round to see Devil’s Tower? [Y]es. Stop at an overlook to see an epic view of the Grand Tetons? Absolutely. Of the 43 states I’ve been to, I’ve been to 35 of them with Sammy.
PLC: Why choose the Preemptive Love Coalition?
Kelly Nowels: It’s an investment in the future. To me it’s like a man who plants a tree. An Oak tree takes 50 years to reach full size. The man who plants it won’t get to enjoy it, even his kids won’t be able to climb it, it will be too small. But his grandchildren will see the benefit. They’ll hang a swing from its branch and climb to the top. That Oak tree might live 500 years and generations of kids will enjoy its shade but the man who planted it never lived to see the fruition of his work.
With every kid the PLC saves, they’re planting little trees. Who knows how those trees are going to grow up or if any of us are even going to live to see their fulfillment? Each kid who lives grows up with a story of peace and love. It would be great to see those stories outlive us.
PLC: How did you first learn about the Preemptive Love Coalition?
Kelly Nowels: A couple years ago I found myself at Cody Fisher’s first gathering for PLC in California after he returned from Iraq. I was struck by the way PLC was showing love on a personal scale to these children and their families while spreading the message of peace on a global scale. Cody was fresh from his trip to Iraq and really fired up. I was inspired to see a recent graduate engage his world and dream big. I knew I wanted to be that fired up about something after college too.
I love the way PLC encourages people to think outside the box and get creative. It’s all about doing what you love and doing it for the kingdom [of God]. You want to ride bicycles across Europe? Sail around the world? Climb Everest? Good. Go do it to save a kid’s life.
PLC: How has your news to bike across Europe for the children of Iraq been received by friends, family, local news, etc?
Kelly Nowels: It’s been great for the most part. I love seeing people come out of the woodwork finding ways to get involved. It’s so encouraging. Our families are behind us, churches, and dear friends… with that, we can do anything.
The other thing is we get a lot of people saying “I wish I could do that” or “I’m so jealous.” And I always want to say “then do it!” Seriously, I don’t think there’s as much holding us back as we think there is. Trade a little of that comfort for experience, trade some of that security for a risk, trade that new TV for a plane ticket, and see what you end up with. I doubt it will be regret.
PLC: What would you say to Mohammad if he asked why you were helping him?
Kelly Nowels: “You are loved. There is so much bad in this world but your creator is good. He saved my life and I want him to save yours. You are living in the middle of a spectacular story. I want you to have a shot at living long enough to share that story with everybody you meet. Together we’ll create a story that will change hearts and minds and bring peace and love to a broken world.”
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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. We did not choose this picture to make you sad… it’s just the only picture we could capture of Mohammad during his recent trip to our office in Iraq and he wasn’t very happy that day. We hope to post more pictures soon! |
You can learn more about the Adventuresaurus Collective at their website on on Twitter.
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Joshua Gigliotti is a PLC Summer Intern ('09) turned short-term staff who spends a majority of his time with PLC taking exceptional photos of children in Iraq in an effort to humanize Iraqis and portray them as people full of dreams and hope. When his camera is not in-hand, Josh is often found in local tea houses with friends and also enjoys traversing the great outdoors. Follow Joshua on Twitter: @JoshGigs. |
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
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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!
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| 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: | |
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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. |
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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! |
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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. |
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For more volunteering ideas send an email to cody@preemptivelove.org.
To give, please use the fast and simple form below. |
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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
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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! |
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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 · 1 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.
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Cody Fisher is a co-founder and U.S. Director of the Preemptive Love Coalition. Cody is married to the marvelous Michelle Fisher and they currently live in Southern California. Cody is a lover of people, good music, photography, and anything that makes him laugh. Follow Cody 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).
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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.
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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.
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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. |
Sozyar’s Smiles (VIDEO)
March 10, 2010 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment
When Sozyar came to our office a few weeks ago she was urgent enough for the referring organization to ask that we do everything we could to move her to the front of the line.
Within two weeks she was in surgery with Dr. Sertac Cicek in Istanbul, Turkey - that may be a record turnaround for any organization working on congenital heart disease issues in Iraq today.
After a few days recovering in ICU, she was discharged to her private room where she has been the last few days.
And look at her today!
Gone is the blue skin from lack of oxygen; gone is the threat to her life; and here to stay - for some time it seems - are smiles and joy and kisses and waves and “that winky thing” she does.
Hers is a story of cooperation. It’s a story of your kindness. It’s a story of compassion.
Thanks for all you’ve given for Sozyar to live.
With thanks and joy!
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.
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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. |
Deelan Discharged from ICU after Surgery & Nitric Oxide Save His Life
March 10, 2010 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment
Deelan is almost like a different baby than the one we’ve been working with the last few months - and certainly different than the crying, uncomfortable, scared baby we brought over last Tuesday night.
Deelan’s surgery and his post-operative treatment with nitric oxide gas has transformed this once-uncomfortable, scared child into a happy, comfortable, impacted-for-life story of your compassion and kindness!
 Molecule of the Year (1992), Nitric Oxide |
To save lives through the very specific provision of nitric oxide, please contribute your desired amount below. One container of nitric oxide costs us approximately $2,000. |
Follow Deelan on Twitter: @DeelanKameran. Subscribe to Deelan’s updates via RSS HERE. Follow Deelan’s thread of longer stories (with pictures & video) on the PLC blog HERE.
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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 Enjoys a Visit from U.S. Supporters Who Funded Her Surgery
March 9, 2010 by Jeremy · 1 Comment
As cute as the babies are, we do enjoy interacting with these older kids. Watching them work through their fear, and seeing them come into their own in a foreign culture, is a real joy. Plus, it seems like the “mark” we’re leaving for life will be more profound for these adolescents.
If you’ll remember, Sara’s family comes from Kirkuk, Iraq. One of her cousins left Iraq over ten years ago and currently lives in Istanbul. So we’ll be discharging Sara into the care of her cousin this week so he can show her the sites and so they can reconnect a bit as a family.
But before she leaves, we were honored to host one of our biggest advocates and long-term supporters, Chelsea Pershall (center), and two friends (Erin [left] and Ashley [right]) for Spring Break in Istanbul. They came specifically to meet Sara, whose surgery they funded through a widespread grassroots effort on the Baylor University campus via FWCM.org.
Sara’s family was so grateful to meet these three girls and beyond the life-saving money they represent, found a lot of comfort from hours of broken English conversations and card games.
Do you know someone who might be interested in joining us for a summer of this kind of work in Turkish hospitals and Iraqi homes? Click here to consider our Summer Internship.
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.
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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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