ME and Ophelia

CHIEF WIGGLES
Blogging to save a baby girl in Iraq

Blogging Chief Wiggles is a member of the Utah National Guard stationed in Iraq. While on duty in Baghdad, he noticed a little girl crying on the other side of a barbed wire fence at the location where he works. "She was obviously very poor, in her tattered old dress, totally worn out plastic flip-flops, her hair matted against her head indicating she hadn't had a bath in a long time and her skin blistered from the dirt and weather."

He remembered that he had some toys in his office, so he hurried and brought the girl a toothbrush, a whistle, and a toy monkey. "Her eyes lit up with such joy as I put the monkey arms over her head. She was so excited to receive everything, being somewhat shy though, not having dealt with an American before."

After posting this experience on his blog, thousands of people enthusiastically emailed Scott Evenson, who maintains Chief Wiggles' blog, asking where they could send gifts. After organising a small group of volunteers, Operation Give was born and thousands of boxes have been delivered to children in Iraq. [Read more]


[Photo of Chief Wiggles courtesy Operation Give]

Blogging to save a baby girl in Iraq

On Saturday September 4, Chief Wiggles blogged about trying to save a baby girl. Tabarak, a nine month old Iraqi baby, has a tumour since birth that is growing rapidly. She will soon die if something isn’t done. She needs a life saving operation to remove the tumour and requires a combination of steroids, laser therapy, surgical resection, and plastics reconstruction, which can be performed in the United States.

Tabarak’s family lives in the vicinity of the Abu Ghuraib prison; initially bringing their suffering baby to the guards at the gate in the hope of finding someone who cared. So far, nothing but negative reports have come out of the Abu Ghuraib prison and surrounding area. Now we have a chance to give something positive back to the people there. Little Tabarak needs our help, right now or else it will be too late.

Today, just one week later, blogging pathologist Chai Tea Latte and ER doc Blogborygmi report that a specialist doctor has come forward to take care of the baby.

Funds for baby Tabarak's flight etc., are being raised through Operation Give . I have donated, and hope you can too - every cent counts and every donor signals a message of hope (sorry Madhu, that word again!) and encouragement to the baby's parents and family.