UPDATED 9:38PM EST
[NEW] Sioux City Journal to report on Dr. Rick Colwell
Gaza children traumatised according to International Herald Tribune
Gazasiege.org features Dr. Irfan Galaria
Christians and Muslims come together in Australia for Gaza
Sunday, February 8, 2009
CBS Affiliate WJZ-TV in Baltimore interviews Dr. Labiq and Labib Syed
Jessica Kartalija of WJZ-TV Reports:
As bloodshed continues in the Gaza strip, a team of doctors including two brothers out of Johns Hopkins, travel overseas to provide medical care.
Humanitarian aid supplies intended for some 5,000 wounded Palestinians has repeatedly been confiscated. The Israeli offensive has killed 1,300 Palestinians and left thousands homeless. Doctors Labiq and Labib Syed are part of a team of doctors with the Islamic Medical Association of North America that traveled to the war-torn region.
"Basically the medical system is in despair. It's in collapse. There's no medicines going in, going out," Dr. Labib Syed said.
Syed is an assistant professor of radiology and surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. As a father, he says working with the children hit very close to home.
"There aren't supplies coming in or out, so all the children--any procedure we had to do, we had to do without local anesthetic, even putting sutures in without anesthesia," he said.
When they arrived in Gaza, the team of doctors was divided based on their specialties.
"Only when you are standing at ground zero and you look around can you sort of get the depth of this whole situation," he said. "Even the locals had never witnessed this type of destruction before."
Labiq has hundreds of photos, many from his time spent with orphaned children.
"Speaking and communicating with the children...the stories that were coming out were stories that I could barely make up with my imagination and they're talking about their realities," Labiq said.
The doctors say, politics aside, something needs to be done quickly to save the thousands of children.
"The most important thing that we would like to bring out is that there's a humanitarian crisis," Labib said.
The doctors had also assisted with hurricane relief efforts in the Dominican Republic.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Where's the Beef?
In the 80's, "Where's the Beef?" was a catch phrase for a popular Wendy's commercial. Unfortunately in Gaza, this is no laughing matter. On the 29th of January, the team took a break from the demands of Al-Shifa Hospital to meet with the local Gazans who were trying to make a new sta
rt once again, following the Israeli strikes. As we were driving through Jabaliyah, passing the UNICEF refugee camp, we suddenly came upon a gut-wrenching smell. The stench was so strong many of us began to gag and feared for the worst. I looked out the window and towards the right I saw scattered throughout an open field—what appeared to be over 100 dead cow carcasses. I asked one of my friends if this was collateral damage, as I covered my mouth holding back what I thought inevitably was going to be my lunch coming back up.I guess in war, nothing is safe. We had already seen numerous children, women and elderly as patients—those who had been wounded and maimed during the 22 days of conflict in this war-torn territory. We had no idea how these animals were killed or for what reason, but their death remains incomprehensible to me.
In addition, we were informed that the Gaza Zoo was also attacked, with most of the animals killed in their cages. We will most likely never know the answer or understand why these animals were killed. It's a shame that the children of Gaza, who escaped and survived the attacks will no longer have the simple pleasure of visiting a Zoo. In the Gaza Strip there are not many reasons for the children to smile. And the one place that children universally respond to with curiosity and a smile, is no longer.Read more about Zoo Animals
Dr. Ismail Mehr is an anesthesiologist from Hornell, NY. He was the team leader for the American medical mission.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
CW Affiliate WENY-TV interviews Dr. Ismail Mehr
Ted Fioraliso of WENY-TV reports:
A Southern Tier doctor is back from a medical mission to Gaza. “Going there really enlightened me and opened my eyes,” said Dr. Ismail Mehr.
Mehr is happy to be home at St. James Hospital in Hornell after a weeklong trip to Gaza with other American doctors.
“It’s sort of addictive work. After you've done it once, I think anyone who goes and has any human sense to them --it affects you in a different way,” said Mehr.
Dr. Mehr, an anesthesiologist, performed a handful of surgeries each day at Gaza City's Shiffah Hospital.
Some of his patients had war-related injuries, but others were suffering from substandard medical treatment. Since Israel imposed an embargo on Gaza, nothing comes in and nothing goes out -- including medicine and equipment.
“Everyone is focusing on the 1,300 people who were killed in these strikes and the 6,000 or so wounded. But, there's a number that's unspoken for that is going to continue if this embargo stays in effect,” said Mehr.
Mehr and the others spent their down time at a local orphanage. He says being with the kids was rewarding, but what they told him was horrifying.
“That was something really overwhelming. They told stories of their parents in the rubble, or their house blown away,” he said.
Mehr says he really didn't know much about the conflict before his trip, and says you have to see it yourself to see what it's done to the people of Gaza.
“Despite them losing everything, and basically not having anything left to live for anymore, they went out of their way to host us. And we made some very strong bonds, and we all felt we left some family members behind,” said Mehr.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Mercy in a War Zone
Justin Head of the Hornell Evening Tribune reports:
Hornell, N.Y. - It’s a trip he will never forget.
When St. James Mercy Hospital’s Dr. Ismail Mehr headed out to Gaza for the third humanitarian relief effort of his life, he thought he knew how bad conditions were going to be in the war ravaged region. But he soon found out nothing could have prepared him for the conditions he would experience.
“The first thing that we saw was the destruction and the tank tracks through fields, houses blown up ... One vivid thing that I caught was a children’s playground that had been torn a part because the tanks had driven through it. There was a zoo in Gaza and the animals had been killed. We got a sense of war. I’ve never been to battle grounds and I got to see what it looked like,” said Mehr.
Mehr, an anesthesiologist at St. James, was the leader of a 10-day medical mission receiving national recognition. The trip was sponsored by the Islamic Medical Association of North America and has had stories about it done in the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune.
“We were the only Americans to go to Gaza and we will probably be the only ones to go as far as a relief team that is strictly under the charter of an American charitable organization. The other Americans there were journalists or people who worked for the United Nations,” said Mehr. He crossed the border with 36 South Africans.
“I think that is a shame that we pride ourselves in the United States on wanting to help others and in the end we were the only ones that went, from the Islamic Medical Association,” said Mehr.
The trip almost became impossible as Mehr and his team were hassled at the Egyptian border where they crossed as they ventured to the El Shifa Hospital in Gaza city.
Gaza has a large, military-patrolled wall erected around the entire densely populated urban city. No one is allowed to travel in or out. Israel and the Hamas government have battled each other for years, causing sporadic and sometimes long periods of devastating violence.
On the first day of his trip Mehr had to go to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to sign a waiver to be allowed to cross into Gaza because the borders to Gaza are completely sealed from anyone going in or anyone coming out. Representatives at the embassy told the team that they would be offered no help if any fighting broke out. Mehr stayed in a hotel that was running on generators and frequently heard bombings.
“The guts and the trauma and the severed limbs and you know the gory stuff everyone from the media and people when I return to the states always want to know ‘What did you see? Was it bad?,’ had sort of passed. Either people had already died or been treated by local doctors. We missed that by a couple of days. But what we did see was a lot of wounds, infections, amputations, or people that needed to be amputated, shrapnel wounds and what not,” said Mehr.
He said the media is biased and fails to report how the area has been crippled by an embargo that is slowly killing the people there.
“We saw war crimes there, we saw kids burnt with white phosphorous, on the same side we haven’t seen the suicide bombings and what happens over in Israel because we haven’t been over there, but I think both sides are wrong,” said Mehr.
During his trip he took photos of horrific scenes, dead children covered with rubble, animals that had been executed, gaping wounds from shrapnel that civilians were hit with, bombed buildings and other images that paint a horrific picture of the conditions there.
“Most of my procedures were cancer-related surgerys and most of them were on children ... The local doctors had these patients with cancer and they didn’t know how to treat it because they didn’t have chemotherapy. Their tumors had grown so large they just didn’t have the skills or instruments to use them.” said Mehr.
He talked about this as he discussed the case of a 5-year-old child that had a kidney tumor about the size of a watermelon that he had been living with for several months. Doctors in Gaza have no way to obtain new medical materials or fix broken equipment in the hospitals so they use dated instruments or are unable to treated certain ailments entirely.
“They have to improvise and make due. There are only two CT scanners for a population for 1.5 million. If you look at Rochester they service a population of about a million and they have probably about 50 scanners running all the time ... People need to realize there is a humanitarian side to it and the people that are hurting are the civilians and the public. It’s not the politicians and we need to stress that with our politicians and the effects of the embargo,” said Mehr.
Mehr plans on going back to Gaza in the future if it is possible.
Hornell, N.Y. - It’s a trip he will never forget.
When St. James Mercy Hospital’s Dr. Ismail Mehr headed out to Gaza for the third humanitarian relief effort of his life, he thought he knew how bad conditions were going to be in the war ravaged region. But he soon found out nothing could have prepared him for the conditions he would experience.
“The first thing that we saw was the destruction and the tank tracks through fields, houses blown up ... One vivid thing that I caught was a children’s playground that had been torn a part because the tanks had driven through it. There was a zoo in Gaza and the animals had been killed. We got a sense of war. I’ve never been to battle grounds and I got to see what it looked like,” said Mehr.
Mehr, an anesthesiologist at St. James, was the leader of a 10-day medical mission receiving national recognition. The trip was sponsored by the Islamic Medical Association of North America and has had stories about it done in the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune.
“We were the only Americans to go to Gaza and we will probably be the only ones to go as far as a relief team that is strictly under the charter of an American charitable organization. The other Americans there were journalists or people who worked for the United Nations,” said Mehr. He crossed the border with 36 South Africans.
“I think that is a shame that we pride ourselves in the United States on wanting to help others and in the end we were the only ones that went, from the Islamic Medical Association,” said Mehr.
The trip almost became impossible as Mehr and his team were hassled at the Egyptian border where they crossed as they ventured to the El Shifa Hospital in Gaza city.
Gaza has a large, military-patrolled wall erected around the entire densely populated urban city. No one is allowed to travel in or out. Israel and the Hamas government have battled each other for years, causing sporadic and sometimes long periods of devastating violence.
On the first day of his trip Mehr had to go to the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to sign a waiver to be allowed to cross into Gaza because the borders to Gaza are completely sealed from anyone going in or anyone coming out. Representatives at the embassy told the team that they would be offered no help if any fighting broke out. Mehr stayed in a hotel that was running on generators and frequently heard bombings.
“The guts and the trauma and the severed limbs and you know the gory stuff everyone from the media and people when I return to the states always want to know ‘What did you see? Was it bad?,’ had sort of passed. Either people had already died or been treated by local doctors. We missed that by a couple of days. But what we did see was a lot of wounds, infections, amputations, or people that needed to be amputated, shrapnel wounds and what not,” said Mehr.
He said the media is biased and fails to report how the area has been crippled by an embargo that is slowly killing the people there.
“We saw war crimes there, we saw kids burnt with white phosphorous, on the same side we haven’t seen the suicide bombings and what happens over in Israel because we haven’t been over there, but I think both sides are wrong,” said Mehr.
During his trip he took photos of horrific scenes, dead children covered with rubble, animals that had been executed, gaping wounds from shrapnel that civilians were hit with, bombed buildings and other images that paint a horrific picture of the conditions there.
“Most of my procedures were cancer-related surgerys and most of them were on children ... The local doctors had these patients with cancer and they didn’t know how to treat it because they didn’t have chemotherapy. Their tumors had grown so large they just didn’t have the skills or instruments to use them.” said Mehr.
He talked about this as he discussed the case of a 5-year-old child that had a kidney tumor about the size of a watermelon that he had been living with for several months. Doctors in Gaza have no way to obtain new medical materials or fix broken equipment in the hospitals so they use dated instruments or are unable to treated certain ailments entirely.
“They have to improvise and make due. There are only two CT scanners for a population for 1.5 million. If you look at Rochester they service a population of about a million and they have probably about 50 scanners running all the time ... People need to realize there is a humanitarian side to it and the people that are hurting are the civilians and the public. It’s not the politicians and we need to stress that with our politicians and the effects of the embargo,” said Mehr.
Mehr plans on going back to Gaza in the future if it is possible.
Trip to Gaza Heartbreaking for Utah Doctor
Matthew D. LaPlante of The Salt Lake Tribune reports:
Humanitarian mission » Irfan Galaria traveled with 13 other doctors to treat wounded in recent conflict
The mother wrapped her arms around her 1-year-old daughter's body. The nurse held the child's head. And the doctor worked, stitch by stitch, to repair a laceration that stretched from the little girl's cheek to her lip.
There was no anesthetic to ease the child's pain.
"So this little girl, you know, she could feel it," said Irfan Galaria, a Salt Lake City plastic surgeon who returned Sunday from a 10-day humanitarian mission to Gaza. "Every time I stuck her with the needle she could feel it."
Galaria was among 14 doctors from the Islamic Medical Association of North America who traveled to Gaza in the wake of an Israeli military assault there that left more than 1,000 dead and several thousand more wounded, according to both Israeli and Palestinian casualty estimates. Although the two sides dispute the number of casualties that were civilians, Galaria said it was clear from his perspective at Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital that noncombatants -- including children -- suffered greatly in the fighting.
And among the wounded he treated were many suffering from what appeared to be white phosphorus burns. U.S. manufacturers, among others, produce phosphorus shells for use in lighting up nighttime battlefields and creating smoke screens, but international law bans the use of the hot-burning shells in densely populated areas like Gaza.
It is Gaza's density -- the small stretch of land is similar in size and population to Philadelphia
-- that makes it a difficult place to conduct military operations without a large degree of collateral damage. "I was surprised and shocked to see the extent and the degree of civilian casualties," Galaria said.
Making matters far worse, he said, was the utter lack of medical supplies, everything from towels for surgeons to dry their hands after scrubbing to anesthetics for use in minor surgeries like the one Galaria performed on the young Gazan girl.
Galaria said the recent fighting aggravated a situation that was already dire. "They lack medical supplies, food, clothing -- anything that you can imagine," he said.
California lawyer Ahmed Kasem, who helped arrange transportation, lodging and served as a translator for the doctors, said he fears that the world has been given an incomplete picture about the situation in Gaza.
"It's heartbreaking," he said, "because from my personal vantage point, these people have no future. There are no jobs. There is nothing coming in or out. They've been locked up, isolated and forgotten."
Many of the doctors on the trip have agreed to look into further opportunities to return to Gaza to continue to care for those in need.
Iowa surgeon Rick Colwell said he is sadly certain that there will be plenty to do when the doctors return. "There was so much to do, you could stay there for years and never finish," Colwell told Sioux City's KPTH-TV, "but you do what you can."
Humanitarian mission » Irfan Galaria traveled with 13 other doctors to treat wounded in recent conflict
The mother wrapped her arms around her 1-year-old daughter's body. The nurse held the child's head. And the doctor worked, stitch by stitch, to repair a laceration that stretched from the little girl's cheek to her lip.
There was no anesthetic to ease the child's pain.
"So this little girl, you know, she could feel it," said Irfan Galaria, a Salt Lake City plastic surgeon who returned Sunday from a 10-day humanitarian mission to Gaza. "Every time I stuck her with the needle she could feel it."
Galaria was among 14 doctors from the Islamic Medical Association of North America who traveled to Gaza in the wake of an Israeli military assault there that left more than 1,000 dead and several thousand more wounded, according to both Israeli and Palestinian casualty estimates. Although the two sides dispute the number of casualties that were civilians, Galaria said it was clear from his perspective at Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital that noncombatants -- including children -- suffered greatly in the fighting.
And among the wounded he treated were many suffering from what appeared to be white phosphorus burns. U.S. manufacturers, among others, produce phosphorus shells for use in lighting up nighttime battlefields and creating smoke screens, but international law bans the use of the hot-burning shells in densely populated areas like Gaza.
It is Gaza's density -- the small stretch of land is similar in size and population to Philadelphia
-- that makes it a difficult place to conduct military operations without a large degree of collateral damage. "I was surprised and shocked to see the extent and the degree of civilian casualties," Galaria said.
Making matters far worse, he said, was the utter lack of medical supplies, everything from towels for surgeons to dry their hands after scrubbing to anesthetics for use in minor surgeries like the one Galaria performed on the young Gazan girl.
Galaria said the recent fighting aggravated a situation that was already dire. "They lack medical supplies, food, clothing -- anything that you can imagine," he said.
California lawyer Ahmed Kasem, who helped arrange transportation, lodging and served as a translator for the doctors, said he fears that the world has been given an incomplete picture about the situation in Gaza.
"It's heartbreaking," he said, "because from my personal vantage point, these people have no future. There are no jobs. There is nothing coming in or out. They've been locked up, isolated and forgotten."
Many of the doctors on the trip have agreed to look into further opportunities to return to Gaza to continue to care for those in need.
Iowa surgeon Rick Colwell said he is sadly certain that there will be plenty to do when the doctors return. "There was so much to do, you could stay there for years and never finish," Colwell told Sioux City's KPTH-TV, "but you do what you can."
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A Thank You From the Orphanage
31 January 2009
Dear Ahmed:
It was a pleasure having you at Al-Amal Institute for Orphans in Gaza. Your sincere concern about our kids was really appreciated by all of us. We wish you all a safe trip back and God willing you will be rewarded for your efforts.
It is true we have been through a very tough period during the war on Gaza. We have lost many beloved ones. In the Institute, we have lost one of our most beloved children (Mohammed Al Ewadi), who was killed by the very first bombing of the police station nearby his school. I just read the article in your blog about Mohammed Al-Ewadi.
On the other hand this tragedy has united all the good people around the world. Justice must prevail at the end.
Dear Ahmed, please convey our best regards to all the members in your group.
Yours truly,
Al-Amal instit
ution for Orphans
Surgeon Returns from Helping Patients in Gaza
NBC Affiliate KSL-5's Nicole Gonzales Roports
A Utah plastic surgeon just came back home today after spending a week in Gaza. He was part of an American team sent to help war wound victims.
The sound of war is something you don't hear every day here in Utah, but Dr. Irfan Galaria wanted to leave his practice at University Hospital to help the wounded in Gaza.
"Going there, I was aware of the risks. The opportunity to help these people outweighed any of these concerns," he said.
He was one of 14 physicians from the United States. He represented Utah. The group spent five days in Gaza working at the main trauma hospital.
Galaria said, "I would say almost all the people I worked on were children, except for one patient."
By the time their team arrived, most acute injuries had been cared for, so their job was to reconstruct wounds that were cared for incorrectly.
"The second day I was there I was called to the emergency room to repair a laceration, a cut on a 1-year-old child, pretty extensive across the lip and cheek," he said.
Galaria says in Gaza they had few resources and staff, and supplies were limited. "There was no sedation, there was no local anesthesia, and the nurse was used to hold the child down. So usually one parent and one nurse were holding the child down," he said.
The Utah surgeon says he saw so many disturbing injuries resulting from bombs, shrapnel and a chemical called white phosphorous. It burns victims, leaving them with second- and third-degree burns.
"That was difficult to deal with and try to understand why a 5-year-old child, why half her body is burned or why we're repairing cuts on little kids' faces without anesthesia," Galaria said.
He says he'd do it again, though, especially since the Palestinians were so grateful, kind and generous to him at a time when their lives were falling apart.
Galaria says he is actively trying to plan another trip in the coming months. He wants to take supplies, new equipment and other doctors to help teach the staff in Gaza
A Utah plastic surgeon just came back home today after spending a week in Gaza. He was part of an American team sent to help war wound victims.
The sound of war is something you don't hear every day here in Utah, but Dr. Irfan Galaria wanted to leave his practice at University Hospital to help the wounded in Gaza.
"Going there, I was aware of the risks. The opportunity to help these people outweighed any of these concerns," he said.
He was one of 14 physicians from the United States. He represented Utah. The group spent five days in Gaza working at the main trauma hospital.
Galaria said, "I would say almost all the people I worked on were children, except for one patient."
By the time their team arrived, most acute injuries had been cared for, so their job was to reconstruct wounds that were cared for incorrectly.
"The second day I was there I was called to the emergency room to repair a laceration, a cut on a 1-year-old child, pretty extensive across the lip and cheek," he said.
Galaria says in Gaza they had few resources and staff, and supplies were limited. "There was no sedation, there was no local anesthesia, and the nurse was used to hold the child down. So usually one parent and one nurse were holding the child down," he said.
The Utah surgeon says he saw so many disturbing injuries resulting from bombs, shrapnel and a chemical called white phosphorous. It burns victims, leaving them with second- and third-degree burns.
"That was difficult to deal with and try to understand why a 5-year-old child, why half her body is burned or why we're repairing cuts on little kids' faces without anesthesia," Galaria said.
He says he'd do it again, though, especially since the Palestinians were so grateful, kind and generous to him at a time when their lives were falling apart.
Galaria says he is actively trying to plan another trip in the coming months. He wants to take supplies, new equipment and other doctors to help teach the staff in Gaza
Monday, February 2, 2009
Dr. Imran Qureshi: Travelogue
Dr. Imran Qureshi's Travelogue Day 8
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Sioux City Doctor Returns From Medical Mission
Fox-Affiliate KPTH 44's Samantha Suttle reports
A few weeks ago we told you about a Sioux City doctor traveling to the Gaza Strip to provide medical relief to the Palestinians wounded in the recent fighting. On Sunday, Dr. Rick Colwell returned home from his 10 day trip. Reporter Samantha Suttle sat down with him to find out how he helped those in need.
It was a dangerous mission for Dr. Colwell to take on, entering a war zone that had left thousands dead or wounded. But he says the trip was necessary, to help others who were suffering.
Sioux City Doctor Rick Colwell is back home, after spending 10 life-changing days in the Gaza Strip, performing surgeries on injured Palestinians in overcrowded hospitals.
"They just don't have the capability to handle the kind of influx they have, even before the war. They really are an overstressed system that's really on the verge of collapse," says Dr. Rick Colwell.
He spent other days at an orphanage, where he performed check-ups on hundreds of children.
"That was one of the really rewarding things. Those kids were really excited and amazingly, they still had plenty to smile about," says Dr. Colwell.
A humbling experience that ended too soon.
"There was so much to do, you could stay there for years and never finish. But you do what you can," Dr. Colwell says.
Assisting anyway he could, to relieve so much suffering.
"I just feel like that's what you are supposed to do, that's what God would want you to do, no matter what your religion, He wants us to help those that need it the most," says Dr. Colwell.
Treating victims of war who need it the most, but are crippled by a poor healthcare system.
Dr. Colwell didn't make the trip alone -- he went with a team of doctors from the Islamic Medical Association of North America. They blogged about their experiences in Gaza, which you can read at http://www.ammgaza.blogspot.com/.
A few weeks ago we told you about a Sioux City doctor traveling to the Gaza Strip to provide medical relief to the Palestinians wounded in the recent fighting. On Sunday, Dr. Rick Colwell returned home from his 10 day trip. Reporter Samantha Suttle sat down with him to find out how he helped those in need.
It was a dangerous mission for Dr. Colwell to take on, entering a war zone that had left thousands dead or wounded. But he says the trip was necessary, to help others who were suffering.
Sioux City Doctor Rick Colwell is back home, after spending 10 life-changing days in the Gaza Strip, performing surgeries on injured Palestinians in overcrowded hospitals.
"They just don't have the capability to handle the kind of influx they have, even before the war. They really are an overstressed system that's really on the verge of collapse," says Dr. Rick Colwell.
He spent other days at an orphanage, where he performed check-ups on hundreds of children.
"That was one of the really rewarding things. Those kids were really excited and amazingly, they still had plenty to smile about," says Dr. Colwell.
A humbling experience that ended too soon.
"There was so much to do, you could stay there for years and never finish. But you do what you can," Dr. Colwell says.
Assisting anyway he could, to relieve so much suffering.
"I just feel like that's what you are supposed to do, that's what God would want you to do, no matter what your religion, He wants us to help those that need it the most," says Dr. Colwell.
Treating victims of war who need it the most, but are crippled by a poor healthcare system.
Dr. Colwell didn't make the trip alone -- he went with a team of doctors from the Islamic Medical Association of North America. They blogged about their experiences in Gaza, which you can read at http://www.ammgaza.blogspot.com/.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Dr. Imran Qureshi: Travelogue
Dr. Imran Qureshi's Travelogue Day 6 & 7
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Dr. Imran Qureshi: Travelogue
Dr. Imran Qureshi's Travelogue Day 4 & 5
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Dr. Imran Qureshi: Travelogue
Dr. Imran Qureshi's Travelogue Day 3
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Dr. Imran Qureshi: Travelogue
Dr. Imran Qureshi's Travelogue Day 1 & 2
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Dr. Imran Qureshi, is an Interventional Radiologist from Naperville, IL.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A Tribute to Mohammed El-Ewady
When I agreed to help the American medical team in Gaza, I expected to be able to assist in many ways--transportation, communication, and other forms of logistical support. What I did not realize was how powerful and life-changing this experience would become. I write this today as I feel obligated to honor a special boy of whom I learned.
As an Arabic-speaker, my skills as a translator were in constant need. Almost by default, this allowed me get to know the patients and people particularly well, especially children we visited at an orphanage. Our medical team developed a special relationship with the Hope Institute for Orphans, who had requested our help. We made multiple visits and learned the children that resided there were lacking basic routine medical care. They needed everything from toothpaste to cardiac evaluations for irregular heartbeats.
Dr. Kanwal Chaudhry, a Pediatrician on our team identified physical manifestations of severe emotional distress in many of the boys. This exhibited itself as bed-wetting, uncontrolled bowel movements, and war-related nightmares. These symptoms were widespread, but not something easily appreciated. Hanging out--the kids generally preferred to clown around--run, yell, and make faces like most kids do.
After a couple of days, we began to develop a special trust and friendship with the boys as well as the staff. This led to the overwhelmed in-house counselor, El-Farra, to plead for our assistance in treating the boys' psychological trauma. Many had been orphaned as a result of the ongoing air strikes and conflict in Gaza. Our team lacked psychiatrists, but we were able to arrange for 2 clinical psychologists from Gift of the Givers, a South African NGO, to visit the afflicted kids. I returned with them, not only to help translate, but also to help the boys feel comfortable in the therapy sessions.
Mohammed El-Ewady, 17, was a shy polite orphan and the star pupil of the Institute who aspired to become a lawyer. He was loved by all and a role model to the younger kids. On the morning of December 27, 2008, Mohammed grabbed his pencil and ruler and headed out for his first final during exam week. After finishing the exam around 11:00 a.m., Mohammed left the school and began his walk back to the orphanage. Unfortunately for Mohammed, his path home took him past the local police station at the exact time air strikes had begun. Mohammed never made it home - he was struck in the head by a piece of shrapnel from an air strike. After spending seven hours searching for Mohammed, the head of the orphanage finally located him three blocks away, unconscious in the ICU of Al-Shifa Hospital. After spending 3 days in a coma, Mohammed passed away.
Mohammed's death was extremely traumatic for the orphans, many of whom were already victims of war--they had looked up to him as a beacon of strength and hope. Most also lost any feeling of the sense of security that they had regained after being relocated to the orphanage. The reality of the war set in for them--they felt that there was no safe place for them in Gaza.
Mohammed's death was particularly devastating for his younger brother Ahmed, 14. Ahmed took us to Mohammed's room, which had remained untouched since his death and showed us the only thing he had with him when he became a victim of war, his pencil and ruler. Although he was polite and excited to meet us, the counselor at the orphanage and his eyes told us that he was having a difficult time getting over the loss of his brother. Despite grief counseling, he suffers from nightmares.
I would like to pay a special tribute to Mohammed--as I remember looking at his exam schedule, still hanging on the side of his dresser in his quiet and empty room, showing the break between his tests on the 27th of December that still marks his ultimate fate.
Ahmed Kasem with Dr. Omar Qureshi. Kasem is a California-based attorney, who is providing logistical support to the IMANA team. Qureshi is a Radiologist in New York, assisting the team remotely from the United States.
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