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)

Finding Familiarity In An Unlikely Place | An Intern’s Perspective on Followthrough

June 10, 2011 by Adam · Leave a Comment 

Yusuf is a brave 1-year-old who underwent heart surgery this past March. When his family brought him to the hospital, Yusuf blood had low levels of oxygen that had already tainted his skin blue. The surgeon needed to fix four heart defects for Yusuf to survive.

But thanks to caring donors and local support, Yusuf is very much alive!

You helped Yusuf receive a heart surgery, and, because of you, I was able to visit and make sure his recovery is going well. This is what we call Followthrough. CLICK HERE to learn more on the importance of Followthrough.

As we sat down with Yusuf and his family I was overwhelmed with all the cultural differences around me, but there was a strange sense of familiarity as well.

Shortly after we sat and talked in Yusuf’s living room, his family rolled out a giant feast for us. We ate until we were full, and there was still enough left to feed us for dinner! Then we drank tea, and the refills seemed to be endless.

As we drank tea and took photos of Yusuf, his older sister played with him and entertained us with her hilarious faces. Yusuf’s grandfather would toss his phone across the living room floor while Yusuf would scoot across the room to return it again and again.

The familiarity I recognized during my visit was the same warm family dynamic and rejoicing I experience with my own family.

Even though we ate sitting down on a concrete floor, followed a completely different set of manners, and understood very little of the words spoken, the joy and relationship between these family members was the same as many American families I know.

We laughed and enjoyed the fact that their son’s life had been rescued. At this point in the visit I began to see these faces as my family and friends rather than as distant strangers.

This family was so grateful for us, for their son, for his surgery, and for a community willing to come together to provide a solution for their needs. I felt the warmth in their home through photos of Yusuf, endless cups of tea, a floor full of food, and a room bursting with smiles.

No matter how great the cultural barriers there are some values and moments humanity can rejoice in and enjoy together. These shared moments and values are the most significant puzzle pieces of our own identity.

Remember Nivar?

May 21, 2011 by Lydia · 2 Comments 

There are people in my life whom I haven’t seen in months and probably won’t see but once a year. When we meet again, we’ll spend most of our time discussing what’s happened since the last time we talked, trading stories and catching up on all the details. But when it comes to this particular Kurdish girl, it’s all different.

As an intern last summer I connected deeply with 8-year-old Nivar. Her sweet personality won all of us over, and her striking eyes captivated many of you. Her case was urgent and her parents’ money tight, but after a few pictures and stories, the donations poured in. You made it possible for Nivar to get surgery in Turkey last July.

I went with her, and I spent most of my free time in her room playing hand-clap games and learning the Kurdish names for colors. Without any language we became fast friends. I was there during her operation, and the photo below is the last I saw of her before leaving Istanbul for America. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.

But this morning, after 10 months, I got to see Nivar again. I was both nervous and excited. I couldn’t remember any of my Kurdish colors, the names of animals, or the rhyme we’d used in our hand-clapping games. We were greeted at the door and ushered into the house by Nivar’s parents. Just then, Nivar came running in from a back room, healthier than I’ve ever seen her. She seemed shy at first, very quiet and polite. After a few minutes I went out to the car for something and Nivar followed me. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed my cheeks, then started laughing and speaking Kurdish.

Not understanding a word, I quickly grabbed what I needed and let her pull me by the hand back into the house where she led me past all of the grown ups and into her room. First thing? Hand clapping games. We played with her doll, a toy piano keyboard and a story book written in English.

When her dad came in to call us to lunch she spoke hurriedly to him in Kurdish. He laughed and pointed at Nivar, then at me, and said carefully, “I love you”. My heart smiled. I remembered in the hospital in Turkey when Nivar had sent the same message through her (non-English speaking) father to me the morning of her heart surgery.

After lunch Nivar brought out her parent’s point-and-shoot to take pictures of me, her favorite way to tease me for the millions of pictures I’ve taken of her. It was so great to watch this little girl run around the room laughing; its hard to believe its the very same girl who could hardly catch her breath the last time I saw her.

As we got ready to leave, Nivar smiled and said something shyly to one of the Kurdish-speaking PLC staff. “She wants you to be her sister,” they translated.

My friendship with Nivar ranks high on my list of PLC Summer 2010 memories. Watching her grow more and more sick as her surgery approached, then actually standing at the foot of her operating table while doctors worked to correct her heart condition created an unforgettable bond between me and this little girl. 10 months later, I’m ready to start another summer of memories with Nivar and others like her.

Parzheen is doing great, and we’re stuffed!

April 25, 2011 by Cody · 1 Comment 

If you’d have been in Iraq this week, you would have been invited to this feast.

It was a feast celebrating another healthy heart from our most recent Remedy Mission in northern Iraq.

Parzheen and her family invited us to come for a medical checkup and to see the rest of the family, including Parzheen’s grandparents and to spend a day with them in their village. All of this was to thank YOU for saving the life of their daughter!

It was a perfect day. Together with Parzheen and her family we filled the village with laughter as we filled ourselves with the most delicious Kurdish food.

Everything around their home was in full bloom. The turkey’s were gobbling. The chickens were out searching for worms. The garden was beginning to show signs of life. Parzheen was outside playing and keeping up with all of her brothers and sisters, things she couldn’t do before her heart surgery.

It was all perfect and we left Parzheen with a check up that was just as perfect. She’s doing great!

Our Followthrough Program is gaining momentum as we continue to see children each week that were served during our last Remedy. Stay tuned to see more of the stories you’ve forever changed!

On behalf of Parzheen, her family and all of us at PLC, thank you for saving her life!

Ahmed Leaves the Hospital; On His Way Home with a Healthy, Happy Heart Thanks to You!

August 25, 2010 by Cody · Leave a Comment 

This morning as I walked into the hospital I almost ran right into Ahmed. He was walking around the hospital ward all by himself; something he wasn’t able to do just a few days ago!

The doctors took one last echo of Ahmed’s heart and found nothing but good news so they let him and his uncle head back home to Nasiriyah.

We miss Ahmed and the several others that have already gone home but it’s an exciting feeling to walk through the hospital and see empty beds that once held sick kids.

They are empty, thanks to you!

As with all the surgeries we facilitate, this is only the beginning of our journey with each one of these children. We stay connected with each family and continue to follow through with each child to make sure they’re continuing to progress in every way. We’ll stop by their homes, go visit them at school and continue to invest in them and their local communities.

The surgery is only the beginning of our work.

We couldn’t be doing any of this if it weren’t for YOU.

Thank you for giving and sacrificing so that others can live. We love standing alongside you.

WIth You,

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. If you’re on Facebook, “Share” this story with the button below.

Healthy Danar Can Now Experience New Life Because of His Lifesaving Heart Surgery

July 7, 2010 by Esther · Leave a Comment 

from Preemptive Love on Vimeo.

Since, his surgery in January, Danar has steadily regained his strength and has begun to have new life.

Danar is one of nearly 50 children who have undergone surgery with PLC. And it is because of your donations that he can run, laugh and share life with his family.

You can continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of children like Danar by donating to our Remedy Mission —  two weeks of partnering local doctors with international surgeons to provide 30 local heart surgeries for Iraqi children.

And we encourage you to share that spirit of making a difference with others —  creating a ripple of change amid your family, friends and co-workers in your circles of influence. By giving through Remedy Mission, buying Klash from our Buy Shoes. Save Lives. program, or creatively partnering with PLC to find new ways of providing these heart surgeries, you can show your community a glimpse of peace and hope in Iraq as it becomes reality for children like Danar.

Soccer balls and Staircases Reflecting a Renewed Childhood

July 1, 2010 by Alex · Leave a Comment 

When I visted Ahmad earlier this week, I was struck by two objects that embodied the effect PLC has had on the life of a child who has undergone heart surgery.

The first was the metal staircase leading up to their home on the second level of the block. This old staircase was red, rickety, and full of holes — a lot like Ahmad’s heart was a year and a half ago. Ahmad had one of the most complex cases of heart disease PLC has seen. His combination of defects turned his lips, hands and feet blue from lack of oxygen and assured that he would not have a normal or lasting childhood. But thanks to your support, commitment from his family and the skill of medical professionals in Iraq and Turkey, Ahmad could greet us at the top of the stairs with a smile on his face.

Ahmad’s medical story is not finished. He still has some blue to his lips and will need more surgeries down the line; but a second powerful image — that of a tattered and beaten up soccer ball — made me realize how much of an impact his first surgery truly had.

Worn out soccer balls are certainly not uncommon in Iraq, and I probably wouldn’t have given Ahmad’s ball a second thought if his mother had not pointed out that this was the same ball that was given to him by PLC just a year ago. Ahmad, a boy who had not been able to run last year because of fatigue from a lack of oxygen, had beaten his new soccer ball to shreds playing with friends.

This is the impact Ahmad’s surgery has had. He may not have a totally corrected heart yet, but he does have a childhood — full of running, playing, laughing, falling, scraping knees and wearing out soccer balls.

House Visit with Yousif Challenges PLC Intern

June 23, 2010 by Claire · Leave a Comment 

Last week a small group of PLC staff and interns visited Yousif in his village. As we wove through neighborhoods I noticed the muted and dull colors of the concrete walls, gates, roads and air. Amidst the tan, beige and dirt-colored village I kept seeing flashes of bright blues, oranges and reds — colors of the town’s vibrantly dressed residents behind gates and in shops. Their clothes fought my initial impression of his village. When we drove in, it almost looked like a ghost town, but once I started to see the villagers I saw the life and personality of the people shown through their clothing.

We arrived at Yousif’s home, and I was privileged to meet a woman whose personality quite literally burst through the front gate. Yousif’s mother had been summoned in from the field by her daughters because of our arrival. She flew in holding Yousif’s hand, wearing a work shirt and a pair of tattered juli kurdi pants — baggy pants traditionally reserved for men only. This woman oozed strength, confidence and know-how. She appeared as if she could build a house from the ground up, run a farm and raise her 10 children all at the same time. This was a woman I should learn from. There is a good chance I will never work as hard in a week as she does in a day.

Four of Yousif’s sisters brought us water, tea, grapes and cucumbers. Lessons in hospitality are not only something I could learn from this family but from all the Iraqi people. Despite the delicious drinks and snacks it was not long before we were itching to play with the kids. Little did Yousif know, there was a soccer ball in the car with his name on it. Yousif and his siblings had few toys and had to borrow a ball from kids down the street during PLC’s last visit. The ball was brought out and a game quickly ensued, but soon it came time to leave because Yousif’s mother had to get back to work.

As we were walking to the car Yousif’s brother ran out of the gate holding the soccer ball he thought we had forgotten. I was blown away. A child with very little access to his own soccer ball thought we had accidentally left behind this gift and instead of rejoicing and trying to keep it, he chased after us and attempted to give it back.

Time and time again I am humbled by the children and families we work with because of their dedication to hard work and hospitality. And through that dedication, I’ve seen that this family chose to focus on the vigor of life rather than on the fact that their family is dealing with a congenital heart defect.

UPDATE on Three PLC Kids Three Months After Surgery

June 20, 2010 by Sophia · Leave a Comment 

Driving the dusty highways of Iraq, past kids selling water on the side of the road and through security checkpoints, I’ve found that the journey to visit PLC patients is one of joy. These family visits after a child has been sent to surgery are used to see the child’s progress and their health condition post-surgery.

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting three children who have already undergone surgery. Mohammed, Deelan, and Sara received successful, life-saving heart surgeries earlier this year, and what a joy it was to see them doing well only a few months after!

Eleven-month-old Mohammed entered the reunion screaming his head off – a wonderful sign of healthy lungs and a healthy heart! Mohammed has been gaining weight since his return home and can happily entertain himself with a cell phone on his father’s lap, not unlike many babies his age.

Deelan, now one and a half years old, has had tremendous improvement in his condition. Before surgery Deelan was a very weak and frail little boy, but he is now feisty and pushing over tables and chairs!

As Jessica, the family services director for PLC, recalled, “Deelan was so weak and tired on the way to surgery… his mother just didn’t know what to do with him.” That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Deelan’s mother now since it appears she spends some of her time chasing Deelan as his tiny legs run in circles around the room.

Sara, who is 14 years old, had her surgery in March. Ever so polite, she carries herself with confidence and maturity. When asked what she hopes to be in the future, Sara said proudly that she wants to study medicine, because her doctors were, in her own words, “so good.”

Revisiting kids like these three that inspires us at PLC to continue our work here in Iraq. Some days the stories of sick children are hard to handle, but when we are able to see tired and defeated faces turn into healthy and smiling ones, it certainly gives us strength.

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.

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.

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