USA: Five Iraqi children who came to the U.S. for heart surgery are rewarded with a trip to the Empire State Building.

Record ID: 174174

  • Title: USA: Five Iraqi children who came to the U.S. for heart surgery are rewarded with a trip to the Empire State Building.
  • Date: 18th January 2006
  • Summary: PAN: WSIM RABEA LOOKING AT CITY THROUGH TELESCOPE
  • Embargoed: 2nd February 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations,Health
  • Reuters ID: LVA9QHJPWZK306BRZKTDTL03MCPZ
  • Story Text: The five Iraqi children who were flown to New York for heart surgery weeks ago got the ultimate Manhattan experience Tuesday (January 17) - a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. The children, all who had open-heart surgery to correct congenital heart abnormalities, are doing well and were thrilled to get a bird's eye view of the city.
    Upon entering the Empire State Building, The children were greeted with a mob of photographers who have been documenting their recovery since they had their surgeries in mid-December.
    Once inside, it was it was up to the observation deck on the building's 86th floor. Twelve-year-old Wsim Rabea used a telescope to get a better peek at his host city. A shy Rabea told reporters that he's been enjoying his time in New York. He said, "It's very good here."
    Wsim's father, Rabea Abo Senda, said that though he originally thought their trip would be shorter, it's little outings like this that keep him and his son from missing home too much. He said, "When we first got here, we thought the surgery would be fast and we would be going home quickly, but things took longer than expected. But everyone was very hospitable and we're very grateful for that."
    Four of the children are from Baghdad, the other from the Kurdish region of Iraq. Their surgeries were dubbed "Operation Iraqi Hearts" and were performed as part of the "Gift of Life" program, spearheaded by a team of American non-governmental organizations.
    Doctors say that without the surgeries, none of the children would have lived to adulthood. Rabea suffered from reduced blood flow from the left ventricle to the large aortic artery, eventually reducing the amount of blood flow to the body. This caused a narrowing or obstruction of the area below the aortic valve. His surgery helped to amend this defect.
    There are 1,500 children on a waiting list inside of Iraq that need similar help, according to "Gift of Life" program organizers.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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