August 24, 2007
Help for Youssif
Earlier this week, a CNN story appeared about 5-year-old Youssif, who lives in central Baghdad with his family. Youssif was brutally attacked in January while playing outside of his home. Masked men grabbed him, doused him with gasoline, and lit him on fire. The unidentified men, whose motive is unknown, remain at large.
Youssif went from being a happy, smiling child to a sullen one whose face is unrecongnizable and who has trouble performing even basic tasks like feeding himself.
Such cruelty is unfathomable when it happens to anyone, but moreso when it happens to a child who has no way of defending himself. I was in tears when reading it.
My friend Jeanette now passes on the good news that this MSM story has a happy ending. (As she says, it's "a shame they do not use their power for good more often!") There was an outpouring of support for Youssif from CNN viewers/readers. Plus, an offer was made by the non-profit Children's Burn Foundation (click here to make a donation to the foundation) to fly Youssif and his family to the U.S., perform all necessary surgeries and provide aftercare, as well as provide any counseling he will need. All expenses for the trip, medical care, and the family's stay stateside will be covered by the foundation.
His family is thrilled by the news.
It's heartwarming indeed when some of life's tragedies can turn into power for good.
Show Comments »
And the scum who did it are probably the same one who we are beating back in Iraq.
But we're not making a difference, right MSM?
Posted by: Wyatt Earp at August 24, 2007 09:54 PMAll I can think is I hope they can help that kid.
Posted by: paul at August 25, 2007 12:56 PMI have donated money for Youssif and have written the USCIS as well as my congressperson about getting this kid a visa as fast as possible. The people who did this to him are still on the loose and this story is getting a lot of international attention. He is in a pretty dangerous situation now that his family has decided to go public to get help. As if he wasn't in enough danger already living in Baghdad. I don't know if writing will help speed up the process of bringing him here, but I at least know that I did all I could do...
Posted by: Das at August 30, 2007 06:23 PM
