Watch the evening news any night of the week, and get a glimpse of the chaos in Iraq. The destabilization. The heinous attacks by the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The murder of innocent Christians and Muslims, Shiites and Kurds. Doesn't it all seem hopeless? Yet, Jeremy Courtney, founder of an organization called Preemptive Love, challenges us to find hope in Iraq. Courtney, an American, lives in Iraq with his wife and two children. He moved there as a missionary but after residing in Iraq only a short time, Courtney noticed a large problem among Iraqi children.
In the last decade, Iraqis report 10x more heart defects at birth than the rest of the world. Many point to mustard gases used during the Hussein regime. It is also possible that foreign weapons made with depleted uranium (DU) can be attributed to health problems not only with Iraqis, but among American and British forces as well.
Hospitals remain understaffed and many doctors lack proper surgical training. While children wait for heart surgeries to repair these defects, they often grow more and more sick. Through Preemptive Love, Courtney is partnering with doctors and healthcare coalitions in the region to make these heart surgeries possible for Iraqi children.
During our blogger's conference, attendees donated enough money to fund 16 heart surgeries! If Preemptive Love is voted as the winner of the proceeds of my clothing sale, we will be able to fund another life saving surgery. Could anything be more worthwhile?
You can follow the Preemptive Love coalition by going to www.preemptivelove.org or following them on Twitter at @preemptivelove.
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