Su'ad's Story
Tuesday, September 2, 2008(September Newsletter)
Amid the carnage at her school, the unconscious Su'ad went unnoticed by rescuers. Finally a teacher heard her groans and found the girl among the shattered desks, her body covered with her classmates’ blood and flesh.
She had shrapnel in her head, chest, and one foot. Her other foot was also injured, and she spent 20 days in the hospital. Physicians at the Red Crescent Hospital in Iraq advised Su'ad's parents to take her to Jordan for further treatment. Infection from the shrapnel wounds had begun affecting her bones.
Su'ad spent another month and a half in a hospital in Jordan. Her family fled for good from Iraq because they feared for their daughter's safety.
The bombing scarred Su'ad emotionally and physically. She depended on crutches, and the poorly fitted artificial limb she received in Iraq caused her ongoing pain. She spent her days silent and alone, refusing to leave home so people wouldn’t see her walking with her crutches.
Then a friend told Su'ad's family about an organization supported by the American Friends Service Committee. The group would fit Su'ad with a better limb and trained her to use and walk with it. They also provided counseling and support from other amputees.
Su'ad now stands and walks without the help of others and without crutches.
Before the bombing, she had planned to study medicine. Her experiences have given her a new motivation: Not just to help those in need, but to set an example for challenging disability and creating a miracle.
These days, Su'ad's smile has given her whole family a new opportunity for life.