2 surgeries already done!
November 13, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Rezhin with her sweet mother by her side
Rezhin and Tarza just barely arrived with our partner organization before they received the news that they could head right in for surgery! If you’ve read some of the other posts here you may have seen that some kids can have a lengthy waiting process until they can have their surgery. Rezhin and Tarza waited just one week before they underwent successful heart surgeries on November 10th. Both Rezhin and Tarza’s surgeries were relatively simple ones, according to the surgeons. They had the same heart defect called Atrial Septal Defect, which is a hole in the wall between the atriums of their hearts. The girls had no complications and were alert and awake following their surgeries.
Both girls are already out of the ICU and healing well. After their move out of the ICU yesterday both girls spent time together eating Doritos and M&Ms- which must mean they’re definitely feeling better! This is, of course, a big relief to their worried parents who have endured many years of worry over their child’s health and future. What a gift to these parents to have children who are now healing! How amazing that we get to be part of that too!
Tarza already up and recovering from her surgery on November 10th
Shanaw smiling after surgery
October 2, 2008 by carrie · Leave a Comment
Our partner organization writes about Shanaw’s successful heart surgery:
“This morning (Sept 30th) we arrived at the hospital around 11 a.m. to find Shanaw awake, extubated, and already able to drink small cups of water and slurp soup with little assistance. She said she hated soup and joked that she wanted hummus. Though she’s not able to move around too much yet, the irrepressible smile was once again on display, albeit painted around the edges with the occasional wince of pain.
Her post-op examination results and vital statistics all look very good and her blood oxygen level hovered around 97 to 99% which is great. She suppressed laughter with us several times - because it hurt - and spoke intermittently and with evident effort. She insisted that she wasn’t tired and didn’t want to sleep. From her reclined position on her bed in the ICU, she had a good view and took an avid interest in the flurry of activity all around her, which included an African child named Mercy, a 23 day-old baby awaiting surgery, and Ali, also from Iraq.
The atmosphere in the ICU was serious as always, but among our staff, Shanaw’s aunt, and Ali’s father, the mood was a bit lighter and there were smiles all around. Last night things were very uncertain as Shanaw had come out of surgery only to be sent back to the O.R. three hours later and have her chest reopened because of what turned out to be a loose suture. With morning, however, Shanaw’s prognosis was looking very good. While Shanaw’s aunt prayed outside (since it is the day before the end of Ramadan), we sat in the ICU and were thankful for her progress so far. Having one’s sternum sawed open and major arteries moved around is no small matter, and there is still a great deal of recovery ahead for Shanaw, presuming there are no further setbacks. We’re all hoping that she will continue on the path that she is on so that many others can have the blessing of knowing this little fountain of joy.”
Happy Birthday, BSSL! Meet PLC!
July 7, 2008 by Jeremy · 1 Comment
On July 7th, 2007 an amazing thing happened… a guy named Chad was the first of hundreds and hundreds of compassionate people to purchase the as-yet-unknown shoe called Klash. Chad and hundreds like him have given us the encouragement and confidence we’ve needed to keep selling Klash and using the proceeds to fund heart surgeries for Iraqi kids.
And as cliche as this is about to sound, lots of people thought we were crazy. Most thought it was a three week project that we would outgrow. Some thought it was a silly failure to comprehend the real needs of Iraqis. Indeed, at times we probably thought so ourselves. But as one month has turned to twelve, there is no denying the magnetic force behind the simplicity of our message.
The Preemptive Love Coalition, via the “Buy Shoes. Save Lives.” program, has now sent 13 kids to surgery, funding them at various stages along the way to the tune of $36,500. What a pretty tune! We raised and gave away an additional $16,000 for pre-op heart screenings and have money waiting for 6-7 kids that we plan on sending later this month.In 12 months we’ve invested nearly $22,000 into local klash-making economies, plus tens of thousands more into the broader economy as a by-product of operating our business. We’ve sold $33,000 of Klash across the US, UK, Europe, Africa and Australia, and have seen such a range of creativity exercised in helping these children that we sometimes just sit astounded at all you do!
One of the major developments of the past year is the way in which we’ve reorganized under the banner of The Preemptive Love Coalition. After 4 months of selling shoes to save lives we started realizing that we had more to say that “buy shoes. save lives.” We wanted to say “Love your enemies. Do good to those who do bad to you.” In a region where “tit for tat” is the predominant peacemaking method, we wanted to lead out with another option.
Our “this for that” model is as simple as encouraging those who would be with us to find something in their current environment and use it (”this”) in the service of the thousands and thousands of Iraqi who are waiting in a line for life-saving heart surgeries outside the country (”that”).”This for that” is also about giving back love for hate; kindness for oppression; truth for perceptions.
As we look forward to the coming year we envision moving deeper into the hurt of Iraq and working among the more oppressed and excluded groups of people. We want them to know that there is an entire movement of people in America and around the world who will not abide the ongoing retaliatory methods of “peacemaking” in the region. We are those who use all manner of “this” for that - for peace; for kindness; for truth.
We are The Preemptive Love Coalition. Thanks for being with us!
Jeremy, Cody, Michelle, Ruth, Scott, Bobby
Audrey, Angel, Chris, Colby, Jesse, Peter (THE INTERNS)
Thanks, CBCFW, For Your Great Support!
June 10, 2008 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment
We love rewarding excellence here at The Preemptive Love Coalition and one of the most excellent things we’ve seen in recent days is the $500 that poured into our bank account last week from the Chinese Baptist Church of Fort Worth as a show of their solidarity with the children of Iraq. We love to see grassroots action like this on behalf of others… Let us know if you are a children’s group or youth/teenage group of any kind that would like more information about giving direct and creative support to Iraqi children. Email us at info@preemptivelove.org.
Preemptive Love Art Exhibition.
May 8, 2008 by cody · Leave a Comment
If there’s one thing I’ve learned out here, it’s this: Always love. It doesn’t matter what it looks like or how it appears to those around you…just love. Maybe that’s because I’ve been exposed to so much hate here and I’ve grown to learn where that leads us as people. I say “us” because it’s in all of us. It’s not confined to Baghdad or terrorists or anybody else we label as a “bad guy.” We’re all affected by it. Another thing we have in common is the ability to love. Love isn’t contained in a building or in the “good guys” either. If you’re breathing…you can love.
Artists here in Northern Iraq recently pulled together to do exactly that. On top of all being able to breath, they are all extremely talented at creating art. Over thirty artists created and donated art to be displayed in Zamwa Gallery to show their support and advocacy on behalf of the children of Kurdistan. Instead of just being hung on a wall, their art is driving out complacency and hate and ushering in love.
When I first arrived here there were around 700 registered children with heart disease. Being registered isn’t a bad thing unless you’re lost in a list of 700 names waiting your turn to be send abroad for urgent surgery. Waiting in line isn’t a bad thing unless your heart needs to be treated immediately in order to survive. Just a few weeks ago we found out that the list of 700 kids has grown to a list of over 2,800.
If I’m completely honest then I’ll tell you that this is way too big for me. It’s way to big for you. It’s too big for an artist and even a doctor. But…if we’re still being honest, then I’ll tell you that all of us together CAN create change. We CAN help raise awareness. We CAN be a voice for these children. We CAN love. By “we” I mean painters, bloggers, doctors, writers, singers, students, business men, street sweepers, and anybody else that can breath.
So love. It may manifest itself in a piece of art, be shouted from a soap box or go completely unnoticed. It’s up to you. Just love.
All of the art from the gallery along with some of Buy Shoes. Save Lives.’ photography has been compiled into a book that can be purchased on our on-line store. Get one before they run out! All of the proceeds go to help fund heart surgeries. It’s simple.
3 heading home with healed hearts!
March 31, 2008 by bobby · 1 Comment
Aria, Juliana and Rebar all returned to their homes and families in Iraq on March 23rd after having successful heart surgeries and recoveries in Israel!
These kids are returning home as totally new little people! The blue tinge to their skin is gone. They can run and play like all the other kids. They can breathe normally and have boundless energy! The outlook for their future is bright!
We’re all part of something huge here- bringing hope for life to kids and their families and a whole country that desperately needs it. Thanks for being on board with us! Who ever thought shoes could be part of something this amazing?
$16k and 21 Children to Heart Screening
March 12, 2008 by Jeremy · Leave a Comment
Buy Shoes. Save Lives., Rayalla Organization, and Kurdistan Save the Children and other local partners recently raised and distributed over $16,000 to 21 children and their families so they could travel to Amman, Jordan for heart screening.
Some of these children will likely go straight to surgery due to the severity of their case. Others will be placed in line until funds are available to fund their surgeries - whether through donations or the revenues from our online store.
catch up
February 27, 2008 by bobby · Leave a Comment
We’ve got lots of news to catch you up on. Four of our kids have undergone their heart surgeries in the past week! On February 18th both Juliana and Rebar had their turns. Then Aria on the 21st and Hussein on the 24th. And all of them have come through with flying colors!
Juliana (pictured below- calling family back in Iraq) underwent a 7 hour surgery to repair multiple heart defects that were risking her life- narrowing of the vessels and a hole in the interior wall of the heart. In her second day after surgery she already looked better, with the blue tinge in her skin gone!
Aria has had a little more difficulty recovering than most of the other kids do. But he’s now looking better, beginning to eat more normally and being monitored closely for some blood pressure problems.
Rebar was transferred out of the intensive care unit only 2 days after his surgery and has been recovering at rapid speed. And Hussein as well has had a smooth recovery and is on his way back to normal health. These kids seem to bounce back so quickly that it’s hard to remember how severely their heart problems were affecting them before.
Four surgeries. One week. And lifelong impact that no one can count.
Live from Iraq - Buy Shoes. Save Lives. Podcast #1
February 12, 2008 by Jeremy · 1 Comment
Thanks for tracking with us… press play below or visit us on iTunes to hear our most recent - and first ever group - podcast, Live from Iraq. In this installment, we discuss the scope of the problem facing Kurdish children with heart problems, Relevant Magazine’s tremendous contribution to our work in Iraq, and the likelihood that all of us volunteers here will die from the black lung. With you, Jeremy and Cody
“Thank you for not giving up on my son!”
February 5, 2008 by bobby · 1 Comment
Staff with our partner organization at the hospital in Israel wrote about Baveel on January 2nd:
“The doctors knew when they invited him that Baveel is a ‘borderline’ case, and it is possible the catheterization will show that Baveel is inoperable. These doctors, however, like to take the cases other doctors might not take to give a child a chance to live… and I praise God for every one which is now living because of this.”
After that, Baveel was amazingly approved for surgery!
During his surgery on January 13th to fix multiple problems with his heart, Baveel’s mother shared that not a single hospital had been willing to take Baveel until he came to Israel. She had been turned down in three other Middle Eastern countries!!! She is sincerely grateful to the surgeons and staff from both organizations involved for “not giving up on her son.”
We can’t really imagine the frustration and hopelessness that Baveel and his family have faced. Each child and each family come into this with their own stories, their own burdens, and we get to become part of a really bright chapter in that story!
Baveel now bears a scar that tells a story of hope and healing. And we all know that the people of Iraq can use a lot of that right now.
-
-
Recent Posts
-
Archives
Your shopping cart is empty.
