SimplySami: I sent an email out to your gmail account introducing you to Colonel P. who has a child with very similar problems to what you were willing to look at. Got a returned mail message from your account. Did you get the email from my us.army.mil account?

Not sure, I am no doc, so you and him can hash it out. Colonel P. is the Medical Commander for the entire northern Iraq, Task Force 47th Combat Support Hospital.

Yeah, sure, so is your friend Reserves, AD or IRR? First thing first then I can probably direct him to someone at Ft Dix and at the Pentagon that can help him with his deployment.

Also, please let me know if your group would be interested in helping Iraqi Children.

Salaams

We've actually already had a couple of girls here at our children's hospital. Unfortunately we were unable to reverse one's congenital condition.

I'll talk to my boss if he wants to try his hand at something else... the guys here are very pro relief aid types.

Also I have a colleague who is an ex navy seal who really wants to go to iraq as part of the US military medical services... He is a chief level surgical resident (meaning he makes decisions and performs surgery on his own)... do you think you would have the name of someone he could talk to to work out a two or three month committment in Iraq?

JazakAllah Khair
Mahvish

We have a review board last week of April to sort through all the medical requests to see which ones will be priority. I will email the reports to Brother Sami and Tico.

Tico: Great to hear from you. I knew there would be some Naseeb professional that would make the effort of helping. That is exactly what we are looking for. We realize that this kind of effort cannot be done without a hospital or medical institution getting involved. You are the ambassador to the organization you work for and can make the difference by asking them. Rest of the paperwork with the govt. would be dealt by us, which itself is quite intensive since Iraq is a unique case.

Can you email me at [email protected] with your email address so that I can send you some reports for evaluation. Also, are they any particular cases your hospital would be more interested in helping, eg: Cardio or optical? We have all sorts of cases we run into.

God Bless You Bro.
Yusuf.

Dear Yusuf,
I am looking forward for the more information you would share regarding this mission to pass it to the administration in my hospital. I am excited to participate in this project and I am hoping i will be able to help at least one child directly or indirectly.
God bless you for all the efforts you are putting towards this mission.

Yours,
Tarek

MissLondon: We need help with organizing surgeries for Iraqi children that desperately need help. We are not asking for money, we are asking you to talk to your community hospitals to see if they are willing to sponsor medical assistance to these children.

You are NOT helping Americans, you are helping Iraqi Children. I don't seem to understand why are you so against Americans. I thought you were against the Military, why civilian Americans? You are forgetting that these children are needing help from AMERICAN hospitals and medical institutions. So I were you, I wouldn't be holding grudges against AMERICANS.

Since you are going to UAE pretty soon, see if you can talk to hospitals up there that are willing to help fellow Muslims. The last time we tried from here, we failed. They may listen to you though.

Please help us constructively if you can. I live under combat stress. I work in a war zone seven days a week 14-17 hours day, working and traveling all over this combat theater. I am in it, so lets not debate why am I in it. I need help for these kids and that is what we are asking for.

I appreciate you understanding the core of this request.

I WOULD HELP MUSLIM OR ANY CHILD IN THIS WORLD,,, BUT I WILL NEVER HELP AMERICA!!

WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO FOR THESE CHILDREN???

Brother Sami:

A Naseeb user "Sana" sent me some information on an institution that is known to help in such cases. Tell me what you think.

Global Medical Relief, Contact Person: Elissa Montanti, 1- 718-448-6984, globmed.org, which organizes the program with the Hospital doing the charity healthcare: The Shriner Children Hospital of Philadelphia.

if anyone else is looking into anything, please do let all of us know. the reason for the public commentary below on my part is so that we can know what each of us is up to in regards to this just in case we want to work together, advise eachother, help out etc. etc.

Brother Sami:

Really appreciate the effort. Anything you can do will help. I was beginning to loose hope here on Naseeb. I was thinking about reverting back to what contacts the military provides us to search for help. Having said this, I still think we as muslims should help some of these kids as they desperately need help.

Yusuf.

Yusuf: i am looking into things to see what we can do from here. it will take a bit of time and effort but so far things are looking positive. i see some possibilites, inshaAllah, and will get back to you as soon as i can.

MISSLONDON: I understand the passion you have for America, but please keep this discussion out of SCRUBS. Every place you find US Military personnel, you begin to blast them.

If you cannot help positively, please keep out of it. As it is, I am battling for help for these children with the medical community.

At the end of the day, we are trying to help these children. Children that have diabilities. Lets keep grudges out of this.

NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT,,,,, AMERICA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE CHILDREN BEING ORPHANS,,,,,

THE CLOSEST CHILDREN TO ALLAH ARE THE ORPHANS AND DISABLED CHILDREN, WHERE HEAVEN DOES AWAIT THEM!!!!
I KNOW THAT IT IS PAINFUL TO WATCH THESE SMALL CHILDREN SUFFERING, BUT ALLAH WILL GRANT THEM HEAVEN FOR ALL THE SUFFERING THEY HAD TO OCCUR,,, I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE THERE PLACE HERE ON THIS EARTH,,,,
BUT ALL I CAN DO, IS HELP THEM AS THERE ARE CHILDREN,,,,,

ALLAH WILL INSHALLAH DO JUSTICE AND AMERICA WILL GET WHAT IT DESERVES FOR EVERYTHING IT DOES TO HURT, KILL, DESTROY MUSLIMS!!!

SEND ME SOME MORE INFORMATION TO

[email protected]

Brother Sami:

If only you would look at these kids and some of the cases that they have, I think you wouldn't think twice to even try getting them help. With thousands of hospitals all around the US, I am sure there are few that can probably help, even if it is a few.

I like your idea about helping the mass population vs. one individual case but that applies to countries that have a medical infrastructure. But again, if Iraq had one, why would I be pleading on their behalf. The sad part is we don't have one in this country.

The Army does try to handle as many cases as possible locally. However, we don't have all the resources needed to continue treatments. Don't get me wrong, our military can do brain surgeries, heart surgeries and many other kinds BUT we have limited equipment/staff to do this where the main aim is to support combat operations. Having said this, they still do their best to help the Iraqi's, even better then the UNO who just sits in the fortefield International Zone district.

Also, I think bringing a child to the US from Iraq is one of the worst ordeals to go through. I have personal experience with this, but if we can make a difference in a child's future, its worth going through that heart ache. There is so much un-godly amount of paperwork we have to fill out. These concerns that you have are very valid. Believe me, we have been asked even more tough questions from various church organizations that have helped us in the past.

I don't think that many hospital systems in the US have issues financially. I always thought that the Health Care system was one of the most lucritive in the nation. Correct me if I am wrong.

In summary, I know we can't answer medical concerns of all children in Iraq or in Somalia or in Pakistan. However, if we can achieve a couple, or even one, that is a great accomplishment in my eyes.

Take care bro and any imput in this will help me in our quest to help these children.

Yusuf.

Yusuf,

Thank you for your reply with the details and the new post.

When you say the list is endless, thats where the concern lies. Many on here probably think it impossible to help everyone and understandably so. There just aren't enough resources (well there are but the way the world works, they just aren't available for such ventures) to be able to help many.

But even in helping a few, I would like to ask the question whether it is even reasonable to do that given that such initiatives take a lot of time, effort and money and in the end will result in helping just one person. Not that that in and of itself is wrong, but we have to ask the question whether we can do something that would be beneficial to more children in Iraq.

As you know, bringing a child to the U.S. physically is the easy part. With healthcare institutions in economic hardships many times, what incentive do they have to spend thousands of dollars (sometimes a few hundred thousand dollars) to help someone from abroad? Arguments can and will be made that why should tax payer's dollars be spent on such things. Why should the U.S. citizens foot the bill for someone from abroad? The Baby Noor case was of course done to help the child but it also gave publicity to the helping nature of those involved in the war. Such things aren't necessarily repeatable given the enormous drain on resources others will argue it will be when there are enough healthcare problems and patients within the U.S. who probably deserve as much.

Even if we can get doctors to volunteer their time, nurses to similarly pitch in etc., both the OR time and the equipment that will be used and the follow up that will be needed will require money and there likely aren't hospitals with their own financial problems to undertake something like this. This doesn't mean that we don't try but that it is unreasonable (its sad but true) to expect this of them.

All the above are just some thoughts to consider. I personally believe that we should try and help anyone we can. We aren't limited by resources in this world but by the way we align our priorities.

But the bigger question in all this is whether instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on one child, are there any other ways that we can help these children in Iraq by some other initiative? Can we use the same amount of money to achieve something bigger and better for the greatest number? Something lasting for them so that instead of helping just one victim, we can focus on helping more children.

These are just some thoughts that came to mind.

Sami

Ms. Humanitarian:

Greetings from Iraq and blessings to you and your family. I appreciate your response on my journal and I will definitely take into consideration other areas to post my request including VIBES and DiseaterRelief. I wasn't aware of DiseasterRelief.

I just wanted to say a few things that maybe you will understand my situation. First, I was planning on posting this request on VIBEs. One of the very true reasons I joined Naseeb was because I wanted to bring up the request to our fellow brothers and sisters. Instead, I was greeted with hate mails because of my affiliation with the United States Military. I was totally not prepared for that. So I posted the first VIBES journal "Muslims Serving the US Military" as you must have seen it. I must admit that I got side tracked but one of my reasons was because of me receiving about 10 to 13 HATE emails a day.

Anyways, I do plan on posting this on DiseasterRelief and VIBES. I am a little scared of posting it on VIBES because of some folks that visit that site.

I posted a copy of a medical assessment that one of our docs wrote up on Ghadeer. It is also posted as a journal. Is this the kind of information that would help you guys to take to hospitals and see if they can help? I am not sure what you guys would be looking for. In the past our group has provided very similar assessments to various churches and Jewish organizations that used them to market to hospitals and other medical institution. Although I must admit that the format requested differed from organization to organization. So maybe streamlining the request process should be something I should design. Brother Sami is right about this.

In summary, all we need from you guys is to take this request (with our medical assessment reports) to various hospitals and medical institutions that you may be affiliated with. Once we have some sort of willingness to look at these cases, I can then engage Dept. of Defense and our Medical HHQ folks to begin all the legal paperwork needed for transportation.

Last, I do understand that all of you doctors and medical professionals are extremely busy. I have quite a few cousins who are doctors too, so I see their lifestyle and schedules. However, I must admit that we in Iraq work seven days a week and I personally average 14-17 hours a day including traveling all over this combat zone day and night. Many of us serving have responsibility for the safety and welfare of thousands of troops which is a big task with stress. No complaints here. So the only reason I brought this up was because I want to tell you that I really understand how busy you guys are and that I can relate to you, but in due honesty, without the help of our medical community who have access to so many institutions, we cannot succeed here in helping these children who really need our help

Please stay safe and sound.

Delta Three One
"Steadfast and Loyal" All the way!

bro jn786: glad u posted this here. it is truly moving and humbling to hear, remember, and be reminded of such plights. one of the residents rotating with me just made a casual statement about wanting to go in the military b/c it would replay loans, and i HAD to speak out that the violence is not justifiable and this is facade of an anti-terror campaign. but i digress...

this issue of poverty needs to be addressed everywhere. did u submit your assessment of the situation as a vibes also? that would get the most coverage. this was also a good place to post as most pple in the medical field are caring , compassioate, and humane pple. the problem is that at the same time that these are the very pple who have are so busy and consumed in their daily work. regardless there is no excuse and we just need to know what specifically is needed and how to best go about it. the dialogue you are having here is a great start.

please feel free to also post in the DisasterRelief village. it is a village for sharing what is going on in different parts of the world and ideas to help. it initially was prompted by the effects of the earthquake in kashmir and pakistan as many JEs were created by naseebers but we needed to consolidate them in an area of like minded caring pple. the village is for all disaster areas and areas in need, whether natural or man-made disasters. jazakallah for your post.

Brother Sami:

I appreciate your response and I will certainly try to answer as many questions as possible. Please understand, that I initially tried to float this idea within the Muslim Medical Community of Naseeb to see if there was a possibility of any help. Instead of me concentrating on explaining the need in detail, I have been battling with HATE emails from some members. If you don't believe, I can forward you a few to show you some of the examples of situations I am having to deal with. Being an Engineer, and working for the military, I am quite detailed oriented in my work. Please do forgive me but this situation I am in is not really in my control.

Going back to your questions, here are some of the answers that I can give.

Questions
1. Who are these children that need medical care, how are they selected for advanced care need (as i am sure there are many in need)

These children are from various backgrounds around all of Iraq. We have shia, sunni and kurkish kids. Most of these kids (99%) are poor kids from villages that our medical and Civil Affairs groups visit to help out with Humanitarian Aid.

2. How many are there that you are looking to help?

The list is endless to be honest. I know we can't handle all of them. That is why I approach various organizations and forums to seek assistance. I think we need to define the list of needs on another journal and see which case we can address.

3. What is their medical condition, how serious, what has been done already in the general hospitals, what has been done in the military hospitals if anything, what kind of medical care do they need?

The medical conditions range from heart problems to optical and physical deformities. To be honest, I am not a medical professional, so I can only provide cases as I have on another journal. Many of these children do not have the priviledge of being evaluated by hospitals in Iraq. According to our Medical Doctors in the US Armed Forces, most hospitals are atleast 30 years behind technology and lack practically in everything. No matter how much foreign aid can be given to Iraq, the need is endless unfortunately.

Many of these children are taken to our major medical CSH units (CSH - Combat Support Hospital) for further evaluation and for some cases, Military docs take it upon themselves and perform surgeries that can be done. However, some cases require ongoing and more specialized help like in the case of Ghadeer Moshen (I posted her medical evaluation). Such cases cannot be handled in Iraq by even our Military establishments.

Depending on the medical condition, the child may require medical assistance that varies quite a bit. For an example, after talking to several docs, Ghadeer probably require surgery in combination of advanced educational therapy. (this child is adorable). Again, I think I need start another journal with a list of all these cases and see which ones our muslim brothers and sisters can lobby with medical instituations in the US/Europe.

4. What would the DOD be willing to do and help with (if anything), would these children also need evacuation help (eg. paying for their and their parents airline tickets), would they need help with accomodations once here etc. etc.

In my past experience each child has had a unique situation. In some cases the USAF has intercepted and provided their assets to transport such children to the US. In other cases, individual soldier's home communities have collected funds to pay for their airtickets and provided housing. In one vey distinct case, a past Colonel (medical doctor) provided his home to house a family while their child went under surgery.

I know for sure that I can engage DOD to do all the necessary paperwork with USCIS and other authorities to process the visa needed to bring these kids into the US. The biggest hurdle we face is that we need an institution to sponsor such kids. Without that, the DOD is usually relactant to look at these cases. In the past, people involved with such projects have helped the children through local communities. Again, I have seen a variance of these cases.

There is an organization in the US that has helped Iraqi children on short term basis. Some children have been helped through this organization who even does all the paperwork (which is the biggest pain but we are willing to do it) however, they charter talks about help for about two months only. In many cases, some children require more then two months to recover before they can return.

Maybe you can help me design a process in which we can post such cases and streamline a process in which our medical professional members can help us better.

Once again, you are right that I should have articulated this request a little more but I got pre-occupied defending my role with the US Armed Forces. I hope you shall forgive me for this.

Salaams.
Yusuf.
Delta Three One
"Steadfast and Loyal"