Ill Afghan Boy Heads to U.S. for Surgery
Jason Straziuso
Associated Press
05/08/2006
BAGRAM, Afghanistan - An 8-year-old Afghan boy
whose defective heart has stunted his growth and doesn't allow
him to run or play soccer will travel to Washington this week,
where doctors will perform life-saving surgery, officials said
Monday.
Without the open heart surgery, doctors say, Omar
Mohammed, a shy boy who at times flashes a wide smile, likely
would not live to adulthood.
Afghan doctors for years have known Omar had a
serious condition, but that condition was not properly diagnosed
until American doctors used an ultrasound about a year ago.
Lt. Col. Drew Kosmowski, the chief surgeon on
the main American base in Bagram, said Omar's heart has a hole
that prevents his blood from carrying as much oxygen as it should
— stunting his growth and harming his organs.
His condition requires several surgeries, to be
performed at Children's National Medical Center.
"Our hope is that this young Afghan boy,
who is just a delight to be with, will be able to grow up and
have a happy, normal life. Right now he can't go out and play
without getting winded," Kosmowski said. "We feel
that if this is not fixed soon, it's something he could die
of."
Omar, dressed in a red-and-white striped T-shirt
and bright blue sneakers, was alternately shy and smiling as
his doctors and father spoke with reporters Monday.
He and Kosmowski often exchanged wry smiles or
slapped hands.
Omar's favorite part of his treatment so far has
been a helicopter ride — and the food. When asked how
he feels about going to the U.S., he whispers one word: "Happy."
Omar and his father could leave Afghanistan as
early as Tuesday aboard a U.S. military plane and land in Washington
as early as Thursday. His father, Fadhim Mohammed, said he and
his wife are thankful for the aid.
"I feel very good because I didn't think
he'd be able to go to the United States," he said.
The Larry King Cardiac Foundation — founded
by the host of CNN's "Larry King Live," who had quintuple
bypass heart surgery in 1987 — will pay the medical costs.
The Afghan Embassy will help Omar and his father find a place
to live during the several months they'll be in the U.S.
Omar's mother, sister, 5, and brother, 4, will
stay in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials said they hope Afghan medical facilities
will improve to the point where Omar's surgery could be done
here.
"There's no way possible to treat every chronic
illness in a country, but this helps one family, and it raises
awareness for the medical needs here," said Lt. Col. Paul
Fitzpatrick, a U.S. military spokesman.
