Center

12-year-old Iraqi girl gets new nose in LA

(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-13 20:16

Miller showed a video of Naim's last visit earlier this month in which she took off the bandage from her nose and smiled into a handheld mirror. But she still faces a long recovery. Her face is swollen from surgery and there's a scar that runs down the middle of her forehead where doctors removed skin for the nose.

Although the scarring may never fully heal, it will likely take between six and nine months for the scars to lighten up, doctors said.

Miller described the surgery, which costs about $12,000, as cosmetic because Naim was never in danger of dying because of her missing nose. She could still breathe and smell normally, but doctors decided to fix it partly because she was taunted in school for her disfigurement.

"She's got a great spirit," Miller said.

While in the United States, Naim stayed with four Arabic-speaking host families in the Los Angeles area. She started learning English and visited tourists attractions including Universal Studios and SeaWorld.

Besides Naim, a handful of other war-wounded children have been flown by various humanitarian organizations to the U.S. for treatment of disfiguring injuries.

The nonprofit Palestine Children's Relief Fund, which paid for Naim's stay in California, estimated that since 1991, the organization has sought medical care for about 700 Middle Eastern children who suffer from mostly war-related injuries.

Plastic surgeon Dr. George Rudkin said he would welcome the chance to help another war victim. "It'll be an honor to do it again," he said.