Since I started working as photographer for humanitarian organizations, Preemptive Love has been always there for me, hiring me and therefore letting me be part of its lifesaving activities. I’m so proud of their work among the Iraqi children. As I said in this post about Jeremy Courtney (PLC CEO), I’ve witnessed the growth of this organization since the very beginning. What looked like a dream, an ideal, back then, is today a reality. All this has taught me again, that it’s worthy to try to live by our dreams and passion. It’s a challenge, but big things can happen.

Well, the reason for this post is to let you know the kind of adventure that I’m about to embark on with PLC in the next 10 days or so. They are about to have their first Remedy Mission campaign in Iraq. What is this all this about? PLC usually sends children abroad to have these lifesaving heart surgeries, because in Iraq we don’t the have professionals to do them. Not, at least, until this month… Remedy Mission is only the first step necessary in finding a long-term solution for those thousands of families who have children with heart disease in Iraq. The cost of sending only one child is about what a normal family would earn in several years. But today, because of this great initiative, the cost to operate on a child in country is only $1,833. How did that happen? The doctors are coming here, instead of waiting in their own countries. We now have one of the first facilities in Iraq with the capacity to perform these types of surgeries. What was about 20K per child, is now not even 2K!!! and that’s not even all about this Remedy campaign yet…

Remedy Mission also will start training local doctors, starting this month, so that after a couple of years, Iraq will have their own professionals capable of performing such a great and important surgeries. What I like about organizations, such as PLC, is that they are working toward the final solution, long-term goals, putting an end to the problem.

During the next 10 days, I will have access to this campaign, the families, the doctors, and all the other things that are unimaginable at this point. I’m making myself ready. It will be extremely hard to document everything, but we’ll do our best with the people from PLC. We want to tell the story of these families, the doctors, the locals, etc. Because of all this, I will be complete devoted to the project during the next couple of weeks. My goal is to blog on a daily basis, sometimes even 3 times a day, and keep all the PLC supporters visually captivated during those days. At the same time, PLC will be doing some videos.

I hope to count on your support these next few days, and don’t forget to visit the website for this compassionate Remedy. You can also follow my Twitter. I will be posting as frequently as I can about our progress.

One more thing! The little girl in the following photographs is Nivar. She almost passed away 4 weeks ago because of her heart. But, just on time, PLC took her to a hospital in Istanbul for a much-needed surgery and in these photographs you can see the results! We paid a visit to her house to see her progress after the surgery, I hope these photographs can “speak” of what a miracle it is to have organizations as PLC!

© Heber Vega | www.preemptivelove.org

© Heber Vega | www.preemptivelove.org

© Heber Vega | Nivar's brother. One of the happiest to have her back.

© Heber Vega | Nivar enjoying all her given presents, after being back at home.

NOTE: Sorry I had to cancel 2-Consider for this week, but I have to focus on this Remedy Mission. Thanks!