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The 48th Brigade’s civil affairs team heard about her plight and arranged for her to be seen at the Camp Adder base hospital staffed by the 10th Combat Support Hospital out of Fort Sill, Okalahoma. “We arranged it through the [10th Combat Support Hospital] for Ibitisam to be treated by U.S. doctors” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class William Lawson from Midland, Ga., a platoon sergeant for the 48th Brigade Combat Team civil affairs section. The road to treatment was a long one. Ibtisam’s mother Rahima Abid Lafi knows. “It took three years to reach the Americans, and it’s a very good feeling to have the help from the U.S. soldiers.” Help is what the medical professionals of the 10th Combat Support Hospital provide and after running tests the doctors determined that she needed additional treatment at a larger facility in the International Zone of Baghdad. Ibtisam’s short stay at the combat support hospital produced a collection of new friends who were eager to do all they could to make her comfortable while she was prepared for her first helicopter ride.
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Fernando Mendez, head operating room nurse who hails from San Antonio, Texas, puts it in perspective. “It gives the Iraqi people a new perspective about Americans. We are the final stop for many of them with regard to medical care.”
He added, “that it makes the job great, its medical care and that’s what it is all about.” Both mother and daughter made the trip to Baghdad aboard a Blackhawk helicopter for the additional tests and treatments. Ibtisam’s outcome is unknown but friendships were forged and trust gained, by both U.S soldiers and Iraqi citizens. “We are mind changers. What we do here today will help both countries gain a better understanding of each other,” Mendez said. |
