17th Fires Brigade

Story by Spc. Maurice Galloway

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq – A parent wants to nurture, cherish and provide everything for their child, but some families have to battle through the difficulties of caring for a child with special needs. This can place extreme strain on a family, especially when that family barely has the means to provide food on the table.

In a combined humanitarian aid effort, members from the 308th Civil Affairs Brigade, 17th Fires Brigade, 34 Infantry Division and Provincial Reconstruction Team, distributed 20 wheelchairs to children with special needs at the Moosawii Private Hospital in Basrah, attempting to alleviate a common need these families share.

The wheelchairs were donated to the PRT by Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids, a non-profit organization created to meet the needs of Iraqi children who suffer from various types of mobility-limiting disabilities such cerebral palsy, chronic rheumatism and kyphoscoliosis.

"These children are carried everywhere and these mothers are not going to be able to continue carrying these kids as they grow older," said Col. Michael B. Rath, 34th Inf. Div. medical surgeon. "After speaking with these families, I found that most of these children have bed sores from lying down constantly. These wheelchairs will help with the reduction of those open wounds by giving the children a means of getting out of their beds.

At age four, Husain Diaa was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, rendering him unable to control all of his motor functions. Having to carry her child around is the least of his mother's worries, as trying to provide the proper medicine and hospital treatment has stripped the family of their life savings and left them homeless.

"I had to sell everything I own, everything, including my house, just to be able to afford his medicine," said Husain's mother, as tears streamed down her face. "It touches my heart that these Soldiers would give this wheelchair to my son. We need it so much and I can't thank them enough."

Jeehied Abdul Wahav appreciated the Soldiers' caring during the event and remarked on the life-changing effect the wheelchair will have on the life of his 10-year-old daughter.

"I'm very grateful to the Soldiers who took the time to do this," he said. "My daughter cannot walk and I've been carrying her around. I've been afraid to send her to school because of this although she's very smart. But now, the chair changes that."

Soldiers assembled the wheelchairs a week prior to the distribution. During the wheelchair distribution the Soldiers customized the wheelchairs to accommodate the special need of each child.

"It gives me joy to be able to give someone else joy," said Spc. LaFena Washington, 34th Inf. Div. and native of Mendota Heights, Minn. "Back home I'm very involved with community outreach. It's very fulfilling to be able to continue to give assistance and provide hope to those who really need it."

"It's good to have a collaborative group come together to complete a goal that benefits so many people that really need assistance," said Maj. Diane Greenpope, 308th CA Bde., PRT health team leader. "Assembling these wheelchairs was a very simple task, but the impact it had on the kids and their families will be very hard to forget."

"I'm normally driving or providing security for these events," said Sgt. Demont Moore, 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th FB truck driver and native of Ahaski, N.C. "To actually have a hand in providing these wheelchairs is something that made me feel very proud."

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