Noora's Story

Noora and father, 12.12.08

Breakers rolling to the coastline;
Bringing ships to harbor;
Gulls against the morning sunlight;
Flying off to freedom
--Scottish lullaby
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We wondered recently what happened to Noora Afif Abdulhameed, the now-7-year-old we wrote about last October about whose skull was "shattered by a U.S. sniper's bullet" in October 2006 (Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue). There is no happy ending, and her travails continue.

Noora was brought to the U.S. for surgery by a grassroots group No More Victims (NMV). Her story ran in the Portland (ME) paper, but didn't get much coverage elsewhere.

NMV connects American communities with war-wounded Iraqi children and their families. It tries to match physicians, hospitals and project managers across the country with injured Iraqi children. Noora was their eighth client; they have ten at this point.

I spoke with Susi Eggenberger last night who, along with her husband Doug, has sponsored Noora since her arrival. She said, "After her last surgery in January, a 3-4 inch patch of skin wouldn't heal. As a result, her prosthetic skull had to be removed for sterilization." The lesion was probably caused by infection resulting from an improperly sterilized prosthetic.

Eggenberger said three saline balloons have been placed under the cranial skin in hopes of re-stretching and growing excess skin in anticipation of her next surgery, possibly within the next three weeks.

Noora's father says the Americans have been very "merciful," and he teaches Noora a lesson of radical pragmatism.

"All the time [Noora] ask me, why Papa, why American Army shoot to me? Why Army sniper shoot to me. I not do anything, I not carry a weapon to shoot me. Sometime I can't answer her. I told her that's happened, what can we do now, no choice. Now you must care about yourself (Maine Public Radio.)"

This is not a feel-good story; far from it. But this group is doing very decent work, and is to be praised for their efforts. [Ranger has no affiliation with NMV, other than passing through the town and reading about Noora in the local paper.] The victim's families and the host communities seem to put forth their utmost effort.

And the U.S. continues its part in the wars, making it all possible.

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Addendum: Ann Cothran, National Community Coordinator for NMV writes,

"We are in a serious funding crunch right now, and readers can read about other children's stories, donate, or e-mail us about helping with a project, at nomorevictims.org"