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BAGHDAD, Iraq (June 4, 2008) - Playing outside her Baghdad home
in January 2007, 6-year-old Shams couldn't have imagined that
destiny was about to drastically change her life, along with the
lives of many other Iraqi children.
Mortars don't discriminate between women or men, rich or poor,
adults or children. One found Shams. It was a miracle Shams' father
managed to flag down a passing U.S. military Humvee; it became the
first in a string of miracles that love and generosity continue to
facilitate.
Shams' emergency medical needs brought her to the combat support
hospital in the International Zone here, where two surgeons worked
to save the child's life -- one reattaching her arm, the other
removing her leg. Need for further treatment brought her to the
Baghdad-based National Iraqi Assistance Center, the U.S. military's
humanitarian center, which for years linked detainees with
relatives, settled compensation claims, and coordinated medical
care for Iraqis.
When retired Marine Dan McFerrin was contacted for assistance,
he and his employer, U.S. military contractor ECC, didn't think
twice about pitching in. Thousands of miles, hundreds of phone
calls, and dozens of loving, caring individuals later, Shams and
her mother arrived at Shriners Hospital in Sacramento, Calif.
There, Shams began 16 months of intensive rehabilitation, while
across the United States and the Middle East, the next act had
already begun to unfold.
McFerrin's wife, Brenda, had waited in Chicago to help mother
and daughter through immigration and air terminals. She also was
standing by to prevent potential red tape from ensnaring her
patient and a medical transfer that had thus far been miraculously
successful. But Brenda became the one ensnared, leading to her
becoming the driving force behind creation of Children in Need
International, a foundation offering acute medical care to children
from destabilized nations that lack resources or funding for such
treatment.
According to World Health Organization estimates, only about
half of Iraq's former 34,000 physicians continue to practice in the
country. An estimated 40 percent fled, 2,000 were killed, and
others simply gave up when risk outweighed the good they could
possibly accomplish without medicines, supplies or functioning
equipment.
Not long after working together on Shams' case, Brenda enlisted
Army reservist and National Iraqi Assistance Center veteran Staff
Sgt. Marikay Satryano to join the Children in Need International
team. Swapping military for civilian status, Marikay continues
working with NIAC to screen medical cases for the group.
"Before patients come to us, they first see an Iraqi doctor,"
Satryano explained. "This raises confidence in local doctors,
sending a message to the Iraqi people that they have competent
professionals still active."
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Cedrick Jessup is NIAC's deputy director. "It's a
very rewarding job where I get to meet a lot of Iraqi children," he
said.
As of last month, NIAC -- currently under the supervision of
360th Civil Affairs Brigade -- has helped 216 children. "We get to
see the job through from start to finish," Jessup said.
While treating patients as fairly as possible, the dynamics of
triage often can seem unkind. Screening sometimes indicates
conditions can be treated in country or are not serious enough to
warrant immediate intervention. It can be heartbreaking telling
other parents that their child's chance of survival, even with
lengthy treatment in the most modern facilities, is extremely low
and that the child cannot be recommended for assistance.
Jessup reports that 554 cases are now on NIAC's list of children
likely to benefit from outside medical treatment. Though CINI's
charter lists NIAC as its primary referral agency, the foundation
also accepts referrals from other organizations and individuals.
The number of children needing assistance far exceeds the newly
formed organization's resources.
"Faced with hundreds of patients and limited financial
resources, you must determine which cases are operable, and then
concentrate on the ones you can help," Satryano acknowledged. "You
do what you can, where you are, with what you have and with
whomever is willing to help."
CINI's 2008 goal is to arrange treatment for 100 children. Half
of these, as in Shams' case, will receive individual attention on
an emergency-need basis. The other half will receive surgical or
treatment interventions in specialized groups, including cardiac,
ophthalmic, prosthetic, and plastic surgery for burns.
Already this year, CINI partnered with the Gift of Life
volunteer cardiac team of U.S. and Jordanian physicians for the
second annual Heart Mission. A dozen Iraqi and Jordanian children
had their hearts surgically repaired at Al Khalidi Hospital in the
Jordanian capital of Amman. Twelve children are now being
identified to receive vision-restorative surgery this fall at
Amman's Eye Specialty Hospital, which participates enthusiastically
with CINI's efforts.
These medical exchanges not only benefit children, but also
facilitate valuable technology and skills transfer while promoting
international understanding and friendship. Treating children in
Middle East regional hospitals, where language and culture are
familiar, reduces stress for children and parents alike. CINI sends
children abroad for medical care only when specific treatment is
unavailable closer to home. Shriners Hospital, for example,
specializes in treating badly burned children and those needing
prostheses.
"The CINI Effect," as it's been called, seems to hinge on the
ability Satryano and McFerrin have to pull together myriad
resources on the spur of the moment to make miracles happen. From
that first miracle with Shams to their most recent effort in May to
get 5-month-old Fadi urgently needed heart surgery, the CINI duo
does not allow the "impossible" to enter into the assistance
equation.
"The CINI group is absolutely amazing to work with," Jessup
said. "Success comes when so many people pull together to help one
child."
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