Nazie's Blog

What a year we have had....as they say, it has been the best of times and the worst of times. The best of times in that we were able to help a record number of children, both by bringing them to the US and by consulting with the physicians and/or sending medical supplies back for them in Iran. A full report of our activities will be posted shortly. The good times continued as we welcomed two old friends and outstanding supporters as new board members.....a very special welcome to Ms. Nooshin Malekzad and Ms. Rebecca Pohlad. More on these extraordinary ladies coming soon. And we were pleased to end the year with a few uncommitted dollars remaining in our account....even though we did not have a fundraising event in '09....and we received a "clean audit" from our external accountants, the firm of Lurie, Besikoff LLC. Please see the financial section for the Board approved audited financial statements for FY 2009. And it is with mixed emotion we welcome two new patients on their way to the US. Delaram....heading to University of Minnesota Medical Center. And Salar heading to Stanford Medical Center. We are happy to be fulfilling our mission.....sad to see more children suffering. Please keep these 2 children in your prayers. It was the worst of times as we saw the demand for our services continue to increase despite the tumult in Iran. Every year we hope and pray the demand for the Foundation's services will decrease....alas it is not so. And as the economy in Iran deteriorates so do the circumstances of the families we have worked with and the families we are working with....this creates new challenges for us. For example whereas in the past we were able to rely on people in Iran coming up with airfare it is increasing becoming difficult for people to even raise the money for their own tickets. As we look back on the year....we reflect with sorrow on the friends we have lost....Dr. Lioussa Pirnia, an incomparable daughter of Iran, who will live on in the memory of all the mothers and children whose lives were touched by her healing hands...the children FCI serves will be the beneficiaries of your memorials in her honor....we cannot thank you enough for honoring Dr. Pirnia in this manner and for honoring us as custodians of her memory. We also lost the husband of our long standing benefactor and friend Assiyeh Farzaneh-LeFebvre...Christophe LeFebvre. Again we are the beneficiaries of a beautiful life cut short. We will do all in our power to be deserving of the trust of these families. I will close by expressing as always my heartfelt gratitude for your support, guidance and generosity since 1991. We strive each and every year to be worthy custodians of this cherished Foundation. On behalf of my fellow founder, Yasmine, our board, Rebecca, Nooshin and David and all the volunteers in our office, Jenny, Janette, Jeanie, Marlene, Sunny, and every single person in this chain of hope we call the Foundation for the Children of Iran we wish you all the blessings of this gracious season...may all our dreams for 2010 come true. Here is to the health and happiness of children the world over and to all who strive to bring it about. Best, Nazie

We met Cheesta and her mom when our son was at Gillette in the room across the hall.  We feel it was a privilege to meet you and see some of Cheesta's progress.  How fun to meet you today and see how well Cheesta is doing!  It was God's plan that our path's crossed and we were able to see you one more time before you go home.  Thank you for praying for Noah.  He is doing better, too!  We will pray for you both as you travel home.  We are inspired by your courage and love.  I will always remember the dog show we went to with you!  :)  God bless you!  Love, Noah and his mom.

Nazie is picking up Cheesta from the hospital.  I don't know the details but how nice for little Cheesta to venture out of the hospital.  Her little body has been through so much.  I know she will immediately feel better once she starts experiencing, little-bits-at-a-time, parts of a normal schedule.  I also have to note that Cheesta's escort and driver for this outing is a CEO, University Board Member, 2009 Chamber Woman of the Year and someone always with more tasks than any day allows yet Nazie found the time - true committment defined.    

    

Two beautiful friends (beautiful inside & out) from the International School of Minnesota come to visit Cheesta now in her 4th week in the ICU. They bring with them a whole bunch of money they have raised, along with their school friends, for Cheesta herself! They want her to spend it on her education when she goes back home. They also asked their Mom & Dad to help...and they wrote checks too....GOOD GIRLS! Already understand "matching dollars."

Everyone lean down to sweet Cheesta. Now the last surgery is done! YAY! The ventilator is hooked up to the tracheotomy making easier to take her off & put her back on quickly if needed. It is still very difficult for our little girl....but with such good friends like our "golden Persian girl" & her darling friend she will recover completely....

The students at the International School in Minnesota who worked so hard & were so generous to our dear children from Iran. The money they raised, as Tala instructed the Foundation, will be shared equally by Bano & Cheesta....I am so specially happy to be receiving these funds as I, too, am a graduate of an International School....The International School of Teheran...Iranzamin...based on the same philosophy, education system & credo. One planet, one people is the best way to summarize it. THANK YOU one & all. I am proud to be part of the great big family that is the graduates of the International Schools world wide.

 

 

 

Cheesta getting ready to head to the operating room for a tracheotomy....

...soon we will be able to see her beautiful face again & she will be rid of the misery of the tubes she hates so much.

And surrounded by her new Amou (uncles) and Khalehs (aunties)....her new FCI family, who love her unconditionally....and shower her not only with dolls and stuffed animals which she clutches to her chest...but endless attention, caring and love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just two of a dozen amazing nurses taking care of our precious little girl....24/7....in her room... one-on-one... Mom thinks she is so lucky to have such great care for her one & only daughter. We couldn't agree more. 3 cheers for the PICU team @ Gillette Children's Speciality Hospital.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you know I have tubes in & out of every orifice....I guess you may have figured that out....but do you know they have attached 6 pounds of weight to my head! And they plan to increase it to 20 pounds....vay...vay...vay...akh....akh! Good thing I don't speak English so I don't really know what is coming....but anyway I don't complain...sometimes I pray and sometimes I just cry quietly.

 

Please forgive my bad Farsi. I am working on it. Think of it this way....it makes the children laugh....& it is way better than my singing....or sending "salavat" on demand, at the children's request...30++ years since I last did that.....what I won't do for this Foundation....

Our dear sweet Banoo is safely home in the loving arms of her family....only a few short weeks after she arrived...healed and ready to start this new phase of her life as a healthy little girl....thanks to ALL of you....but more on this later... watch for our farewell video and photographs. Our beautiful little Cheesta is now on her 13th day in the PICU @ Gillette Children's Hospital. She has been on a ventilator. The one attempt to take her off did not go so well. After 4 hours or so she crashed....& was immediately intubated. Yesterday the doctors decided to do the tracheotomy. The procedure is scheduled for noon today. I am on my way over there right now. She will be so much happier when the tubes come out & she has more mobility. She is such as trooper....with her hands tied to the bed she still tries to "clap" airclaps when she gets good news....and sheds silent tears with setbacks....she is still so expressive, with her eyebrows, her eyes, even sticking her tongue out on cue when I tell her to make fun of us.....we love, love, love her. By all accounts her surgery was brilliant....there isn't a day that I am at the hospital that some doctor does not run in to me and tell me how well the surgery went...it seems everyone is impressed with the work surgeons Mehbod and Lonstein did....by the way Dr. Mehbod visits every single day and then some. We are so lucky to have a son of Iran now an American surgeon of such compassion and skill. Please say a little pray for Cheesta.

Dearest, dearest Cheesta is out of surgery finally & settling in the PICU at Gillette Children's Speciality Hospital in St. Paul. The actual surgery ended close to 6:30 p.m. some 13++ hours after it had started....and then there was a few more hours of stitching....closing the incision is usually at two person job & takes quite some time...finally out of the operating room and in to recovery.....and somewhere around 10 p.m. little one begins "settling in"....such as it is.... in the PICU. Everyone is exhausted, grateful, happy, did I say exhausted, crying and laughing, hopeful....wishing all the donors and all our friends from Tehran to Dubai....from California to the San Juan Islands, from London to New York.....our friends, where ever they are.... were here to see the joy they bring in to this world. You did good out there....you Persians, Kurds, Turks, Americans, Iranians, American-Iranians, Europeans, Jews, Moslems, Bahaiis, young and old ....all noble who have come together to lift up this little one. Here's to all of you...zendeh bashin!

Iranian American Dr. Amir Mehbod, who first met Cheesta in Iran, determined she could not be operated on there and contacted FCI. Also in the photo with Cheesta and Dr. Mehbod is Dr. John Lonstein who first operated on an FCI patient over 11 years ago.

As we speak we have word from the operating room....the first of 3 surgeries is completed...2 ribs on the right side & 3 discs have been removed from her spinal cord...All has proceeded well so far, the halo is being put on now. Dr. Mehbod, our own hero, has Cheesta in his kind and capable hands...and along with senior partner & world renowned scoliosis surgeon, Dr. Lonstien, they will be busy for the next 8 hours completing this 10+ hour procedure. We are so grateful to the entire team of 15+ surgeons, nurses, & other healthcare professionals who work so diligently to save our precious child...we pray for her today and for them every day.

On the day of Banoo's surgery Mom, Jaleh joon, our angel coordinator of medical services, another friend of FCI & I were sitting in the surgical waiting room for hours...well 7++ hours waiting for our sweet girl to come out....at one point I noticed Mom had taken out her Qoran, a little card with a special prayer on it (namaze vahshat) and her tasbee (worry beads.) She was sitting next to me whispering under her breath, with her eyes closed and swaying back & forth. I asked her gently if she wanted to say her namaz? She said yes...yes...please.....it will comfort me. I said come with me, I will show you where we can go pray. I took her upstairs to the chapel....I knew from past experience that Dr. Mahmoud Nagib renowned neurosurgeon...also a moslem & a friend of FCI....will often go to pray in the chapel with his Qoran before operating. Once we got to the chapel...well it was not as easy as originally anticipated.... no prayer rug....no prayer stone....after some searching around wouldn't you know it....I found a stack of prayer rugs...neatly folded in a cabinet (we break in to cabinets in chapels to serve our families...) I laid it out for her and explained (being the great authority on Islam that I am) that it is my understanding that the prayer stone is symbolic and really not necessary (???)....since God did not strike me dead, I assume my interpretation to be correct. Then Mom looks at me and says which way is "gheble" (Mecca, Moslem face Mecca when praying)...Horror!.....I do not have a clue....in my head evil Nazie says "Are you serious?" Tell her it does not matter which way she faces....make up which way "gheble" is....she will never know....in my heart, good Nazie says...don't do it....you can't afford another sin God knows :-) ....back & forth...evil Nazie & good Nazie argue!) Finally I told her to wait a minute...I left the chapel....roaming the halls of the Children's Hospital I finally ran in to a Somalian-American lady wearing a scarf... Eurika....or should I say Meccarica? I approached her and asked politely "Excuse me Ma'am..which way is the gheble?" Clearly she had NEVER been asked this question before...as I had to repeat myself 3 times....me in my shee-shee clothes, bare hair & arms asking directions to pray....but somehow she must have believed I was asking sincerely....she came with me to the Chapel....pointed out to us the direction of the gheble and then told us we should always carry our prayer stone with us. To which I responded "yes yes of course good suggestion."...we exchanged Moslem greetings and blessings.....she went on to start work....Mom started praying....and I retreated to sit & read the New York Times....smug in my knowledge that FCI is indeed a full service Foundation.