WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW Noora had successful skull replacement surgery on December 12th, and is now recuperating. She's expected to return home to Iraq in January. Mustafa Abed, whose life was literally saved in Portland, Oregon, and his father, Ahmed, have returned home to a welcoming celebration in Fallujah. ALSO: Visas have been issued for Mustafa Ghazwan and his father. They will arrive in San Francisco soon. And little Rusul received a prosthetic foot in Greenville, SC and is back home in Iraq, walking to school for the first time!
As you can see, Mustafa is feeling so much better. Ahmed said he hasn’t looked this good in a long time. It is so wonderful to see his resiliency – now there are smiles and laughs and lots of eye contact. All who have visited are so impressed by how really bright and observant he is. He (and Ahmed) are definitely in our hearts!!
In case you don’t know it, Mustafa loves soccer!!
So…here is what is immediately ahead: surgery next week — probably on Tuesday to… (more…)
Ahmed’s and Mustafa’s gentleness and bravery on this journey are totally amazing. Please feel free to get to know them. They were so moved by the warmth of the airport welcome and by the number of people who were there. I think we will all find it very easy to fall in love with them! Their story is so important to tell: here is this absolutely beautiful little boy whose injuries are extremely serious. It will be very moving to see this project evolve to tell Mustafa’s and Ahmed’s story AND to be a community that helps them heal.
A special thank you goes out to the members of the Iraqi community who have been so amazingly generous with their time, love, interpretation, meals and concern for Mustafa and Ahmed. (more…)
Our little Rusul has a new foot! She’s happily walking away on her new prosthetic and will be starting twice-a-day therapy as of tomorrow. At last Thursday’s appointment Rusul hopped on the examination table, pulled on her new prosthesis, jumped down and started walking! (Apparently, this isn’t the norm for someone just getting a prosthetic, but if you’ve met Rusul, you’d have guessed it’d be what she’d do!) She even entertained a bit with some mini-skips and hops, just to show us she could do it! I’ve even had to actually STOP her from taking off running as Ed Skewes (her prostheticist) said that this isn’t the “final” foot and it’ll break if she runs. She could do it if she tried though; and she’s aching to try!
I just got back from a weekend in Asheville with Rusul, staying at the beautiful mountain home of Paul Turner and visiting with him and Ymani Simmons (both of Asheville’s core group). The Unitarian Church in Asheville was donating Sunday’s collection to Rusul and NMV, and we wanted to be there for that. A big thanks to Lew Patrie of the UU church, and Susan Oehler of the Asheville Core group for setting this up!
Just to let you know that Noora is doing wonderfully. She has now had two post-op check-ups and is progressing along just as they had hoped. This past Thursday, her suture line had healed enough that they were able to begin the balloon expansion process, which will eventually create the skin that will cover the new prosthetic skull. Dr. Atwood will be expanding the balloon every 5-7 days for the next 6(+) weeks. Thankfully, the procedure is essentially painless!
Noora and Afef were honored to attend a lovely Sunday afternoon picnic, hosted by the Woodford’s Congregational Church in Portland, a couple of weeks ago (Woodford’s Church was one of the first organizations to sponsor a fundraising event for this project months before Noora’s arrival). Noora’s face lit up like a lightbulb when she saw that dalmas (grape leaves stuffed with rice, raisins, etc.) were on the menu! It’s one of her favorite foods, and one that she frequently talks her mom into making for her (per Afef). And, last week, Aynne Doil (a volunteer at RMH) kindly put on a delicious Middle Eastern dinner at the Ronald McDonald House, which Afef and Noora said “tasted just like home”. In anticipation of Ramadan, which began last Monday and continues throughout the month of Sept., Afef said he ate with fasting in mind. He will be abstaining from both food and fluid from sunup to sundown. Also during this time, both he and Noora will be attending nightly prayers and meals at the mosque.
Well, Rusul continues to be amazing! She’s cheerful and kind, laughing and loving. She came through her amputation with flying colors and “no ouch,” and her incision has now fully healed. She should have a new foot in ten days! And, anyone who’s seen how FAST she is hopping around without a foot (most of the time now, she just shoves her walker to the side), can’t imagine how speedy she’ll be WITH a foot! It’ll be hard to keep up with her!
Abu Ali continues to be the most loving and compassionate father. And, a good friend to everyone he meets.
So many wonderful folks from both the Greenville and Asheville areas have tended to their needs, extended warm bonds of friendship, and visited and played with both of them. Rusul’s discovered that she LOVES putt-putt, big blow-up slides, merry-go-rounds, spaghetti, making jewelry with beads, and of course, “potatoes with ketchup” (french fries). As soon as she woke from surgery, she demanded “potatoes with ketchup”; she had to be satisfied with “crackers” with ketchup (Saltines) for a while to keep from getting nauseated, but I think the ketchup was the main draw so she was a trooper as long as the ketchup kept flowing.
The word we received this morning from Cole Miller, (NMV Director) who is in Amman to accompany Mustafa Abed and his father Ahmed here, is that there is still the delay in the final travel stamp for Mustafa’s father’s passport. Hopefully, it will come through in a very short time. Cole will keep us updated and we will send out regular emails. Obviously, they won’t make it here in time for Mustafa’s scheduled appointment at Shriner’s this Wednesday, 8/27. I will work with Shriner’s to reschedule at the soonest time they can arrange.
So, we’ll continue to send our good energy to Mustafa and Ahmed, and hopefully, they will get here very soon. Enjoy the pictures!
Just a quick note to let you all know that Noora’s surgery went as well as they had hoped and that she is back at the Ronald McDonald House after an overnight in the hospital. Noora slept much of the day after the surgery, waking for short periods of time to talk or video/conference with her family in Iraq. Come 3:00 in the morning, however, Afef said she was wide awake and ready to play! As you can see from the photographs she’s now sporting a new headdress, which she’s not particularly thrilled about and fortunately will only have to wear for a short period of time while the wound heals. It’s been a tiring couple of days for both father and daughter but she is well on her way to feeling herself again!
Thank you so much for your love and concern,
Susi and Doug
We just wanted to write and catch you up on the “happenings” of Noora and Afef over the past few weeks since we last wrote.
First and foremost on the medical side, after seeing Dr. John Atwood (the plastic surgeon involved in the project), the decision has been made to go forward with a tissue expansion procedure, which involves implanting 1-2 balloons under healthy portions of Noora’s scalp. Weekly (for approximately 6 weeks), Dr. Atwood will be injecting saline into the balloon, stretching and creating enough new skin (with hair follicles) to be able to use it for grafting over her new prosthetic skull.
Could it be only a little over a week since Rusul entered our lives? Hard to believe. In that short amount of time, she’s made some new and dear friends, learned some English, had her foot amputated, been discharged from the hospital, and is now walking with a walker! And our dear friend, Abu Ali, her father, feels comfortable and welcome again in his “home away from home”.
But so much more has happened in the short time since Rusul’s been here. She’s taught me so much; not only a few more words in Arabic and that she loves french fries and ketchup to an alarming degree, but she’s reminded me to be more appreciative.
She’s taught me that the focus should be on the positive ending, not the struggle along the way. Having “your foot chopped off” can be a GOOD thing because it means walking better and getting to go to school!
Good news! Mustafa and his father have their visa appointment set for July 29th at the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan. Within about three weeks of that appointment (mid to late August!), Mustafa should be in Portland. Mustafa’s first evaluation appointment at Shriner’s is set for August 27th. He and his father will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House at OHSU. We are still working out arrangements for evaluation and treatment of Mustafa’s abdominal injuries.
We are so excited to meet Mustafa and his father and to shower them with a warm and loving Portland welcome.
To begin getting us ready, Geri and David told their 3rd, 4th and 5th graders about Mustafa and the students decorated beautiful posters that they will bring to the Portland airport to welcome Mustafa. The students also created great colorful pictures for Mustafa to hang in his room and an alphabet book with terrific pictures representing the letters of the alphabet. Channel 8 had a photographer at Geri and David’s classes getting footage of the students drawing this amazing art—footage they intend to incorporate into their coverage of Mustafa.
Some more pictures from today — thanks Geri!!!
Ahmed’s and Mustafa’s gentleness and bravery on this journey are totally amazing. Please feel free to get to know them. They were so moved by the warmth of the airport welcome and by the number of people who were there. I think we will all find it very easy to fall in love with them! Their story is so important to tell: here is this absolutely beautiful little boy whose injuries are extremely serious. It will be very moving to see this project evolve to tell Mustafa’s and Ahmed’s story AND to be a community that helps them heal.
Hi Everyone!
Could it be only a little over a week since Rusul entered our lives? Hard to believe. In that short amount of time, she’s made some new and dear friends, learned some English, had her foot amputated, been discharged from the hospital, and is now walking with a walker! And our dear friend, Abu Ali, her father, feels comfortable and welcome again in his “home away from home”.