Marines launch rescue effort to save Hadithah girl [Archive] - Marine Corps

thedrifter

01-25-08, 08:56 AM

Marines launch rescue effort to save Hadithah girl
by SOPnewswire
Posted January 24, 2008

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – Marines operating in Al Anbar Province airlifted a young Hadithah girl in desperate need of a life-saving surgery, and her mother to the Jordanian border Jan. 22.

They were met there by a team of medical professionals who will escort them to Nashville, Tenn., for open-heart surgery.

Amina Al’a Thabit, a three-year-old who suffers from a congenital heart defect, was discovered by Marines assigned to 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, which is now part of Regimental Combat Team 5, patrolling the area as part of their daily interaction with the populace.

The battalion surgeon diagnosed her condition, and recognizing the gravity of the situation, coordinated arrangements with doctors in the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University who agreed to perform the surgery at no cost to the family.

The Marines, in concert with numerous government agencies, initiated a coordinated effort to transport Amina and her mother from their home in the Hadithah region to Nashville for the procedure.

Travel costs and incidentals were financed by private donors.

Ellie

thedrifter

01-26-08, 07:18 AM

Marines evacuate Iraqi toddler
The 2-year-old girl from Haditha in need of life-saving open-heart surgery is now at a Nashville hospital.
By VIK JOLLY
The Orange County Register

A 2-year-old Iraqi girl with a congenital heart defect, who has been evacuated to a Tennessee hospital by U.S. Marines in the Al Anbar province, was reported Friday to be awake but fighting a respiratory infection.

"She has had fever since she left home," said Carole Bartoo, spokeswoman for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. "She's been trying to play when she's not cranky."

The toddler named Amenah has a large hole in her heart and a severe obstruction between her heart and lungs, giving her the classic "blue baby" look around her lips and extremities, according to a hospital news release. Amenah's heart is basically backwards in her chest and her large arteries are oriented abnormally, the hospital said.

"Untreated this will be a fatal condition in her young childhood," said Dr. Thomas Doyle, a pediatric cardiologist in a statement released by the hospital on Friday.

With the help of Marines under the command of Camp Pendleton-based Regimental Combat Team 5, a whirlwind military effort got Amenah to Jordan on Tuesday and onward to Nashville.

The girl's mother requested that the family's last name not be released for fear of her relatives' safety, the hospital said.

The headquarters element of RCT 5, which left Camp Pendleton earlier this month, assumed command of approximately 5,000 service members in the Al Anbar province assigned to various battalions from Marine Corps bases, including Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Marines operating in Al Anbar Province airlifted the young Haditha girl in desperate need of a life-saving surgery and her mother to the Jordanian border Tuesday, according a to U.S. Multi-National Forces-West press release. A team of medical professionals escorted them to Nashville on Wednesday.

Amenah was discovered by Marines assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, which is now part of RCT 5, while on patrol in Haditha during their daily interaction with the populace, according to the press release.

The battalion surgeon diagnosed her condition and recognizing the gravity of the situation coordinated arrangements with doctors at the Nashville hospital, who agreed to perform the surgery at no cost to the family, according to U.S. Multi-National Forces-West.

The Marines, in conjunction with numerous government agencies, initiated an effort dubbed "Operation Amina," to transport the girl and her mother stateside. The travel and related costs were financed by private donors, the release said.

The battalion raised $30,000 to fly them to the U.S. via Jordan with the assistance of a U.S. medical team and extensive cooperation from Blackwater Worldwide, the hospital said.

The Iraqi government backed the Marines' effort with its unconditional support. And friends and family of Maj. Kevin Jarrard, who befriended Amenah's family, in Nashville continue to help, the hospital said.

"It is hoped that the city of Haditha will have the facilities to diagnose and treat heart conditions of this nature at birth within 12 to 18 months," said 1st Lt. Lawton King, a spokesman for the Pendleton-based 5th Marine Regiment in an e-mailed statement. "But in the meantime, the Marines are simply delighted they could be of assistance to Amina and her family."

The Marines have elected to use the girl's name as it's spelled on her Haditha identification. The name on her passport is spelled Amenah, which is what the hospital is using.

"Amenah arrived safely (Wednesday night) through heroic efforts by the military and friends," Doyle said. "The assessment of her cardiac condition is on going."

Doyle and Dr. Karla Christian examined Amenah on Thursday and determined that her heart problem is more complex than originally expected, the hospital said.

Because of the respiratory infection, fever and the stress of travel, the hospital will delay any surgery for at least a week. The toddler was on antibiotics and in the intensive care unit on Friday. She was awake and reportedly had improved since the day before. She will undergo an MRI and other heart examinations, the hospital said.

A team of pediatric heart specialists continues to assess her condition.

"We want to give her the same care any child here in the United States would get, but we also have to keep in mind the access to medical care she will have when she returns home," said Christian. "She will require a complex open heart surgery with significant risk."

Amenah is scheduled to return home one month after the surgery, military officials said.

Contact the writer: 949-465-5424 or vjolly@ocregister.com

Ellie