Not sure if anyone has seen this yet, but Grossman Burn Center and the Children's Burn Foundation are coming to the aid of Youssif, the 6-year old Iraqi boy who was badly burned in a savage attack earlier this year in January.
You can read about it in this article just posted on CNN's website.
More below the fold...
I work for the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, CA (a suburb of L.A.) and everyone here is humbled by the opportunity to help this boy, and just glad we are in a position to do so.
While Dr. Grossman and the surgical team are donating their services, the Children's Burn Foundation needs to raise a significant amount of money to cover transportation and the hospital's out-of-pocket costs, which even with the drastically reduced rate they have offered, will still undoubtedly come to several hundred thousand dollars over the 6 months - 1 year it will take to help restore Youssif's appearance and functionality to as close to his pre-injury condition as possible.
We also are trying to find a host family where Youssif and his father can stay during the course of his treatment. Anyone in the L.A. area know of a family that speaks Arabic and would be interested in hosting? The Burn Foundation typically provides a monthly stipend for the host family to defray the additional expense of having extended house guests.
If you are able to or interested in making a tax-deductible contribution, however great or small, to help pay for Youssif's hospital expenses, you can visit the Children's Burn Foundation website and click on the "Youssif's Fund" link.
Dr. Grossman and his team at the Grossman Burn Center have experience with this kind of thing. If you visit the website, you'll see a wrenching injury to Zubaida, an 11-year old girl from Afghanistan, and her transformation, which is nothing short of miraculous. We also recently donated our services to treat a 6-year old boy from Afghanistan and a 13-year old girl from Indonesia who each suffered similar injuries as Zubaida. Strong images, but really quite inspiring - both the work of the burn center and the incredible spirit and resilience of these children.
I promise to post periodic updates, from the first moment when Youssif comes to town, as he progresses through his surgeries, until he's ready to go home again. Please consider a donation. Every little bit helps. Thanks.