Teeba's Journey

It's 9:15 = P.M. on July=20 16, 2007. Exactly a year to the day Barbara Marlowe picked = up her=20 Sunday paper and read a story about a little girl that would = change=20 both of their lives.

The woman from Concord has no = connection=20 to the Middle East. She can't speak Arabic and knows nothing = of=20 Muslim culture. But the picture of a 5-year-old little girl = sitting=20 on her father's lap haunted her.

When Teeba Furat = was 19=20 months old, she and her family were on their way to a = doctor's=20 appointment when an insurgent's bomb hit their cab. The = blast killed=20 Teeba's 3-and-a-half year old brother and severely burned = the little=20 girl's head, face and hands.

Barbara was = volunteering for=20 Wigs for Kids, an organization that gives hair pieces to = children=20 who lose their hair from medical problems.

"All she = wanted=20 was a wig because she was afraid when she went to school the = kids=20 would make fun of her and I thought I have to help her her = eyes were=20 so compelling to me." Barbara said.

So the day after = reading=20 Teeba's story, Barbara began an epic effort to bring the = little girl=20 to Cleveland for medical care.

"Everyone I talked to = within a=20 matter of three or four days agreed to help this child and = then it=20 took eleven months and two weeks to get her = here."

Teeba's=20 plane was expected to land at Hopkins at 9:20 P.M. She and = her=20 grandmother, Amal Hadi, flew 12 hours from Jordan to = Chicago.=20

Barbara, her husband Tim, and a translator received = special=20 permission to meet Teeba and Amal at the gate. But as they = watched=20 the passengers disembark, their excitement turned to fear.=20

The little girl and her grandmother, who cannot read = and=20 speaks no English, missed their connection to Cleveland. The = Marlowes would have to wait another two and half hours for = them to=20 arrive.

At 11:50pm, a very tired Teeba and her = grandmother=20 finally arrived to hugs and a fuzzy teddy bear for Teeba.=20

The meeting would bridge cultures with kindness. =
Amal is=20 overwhelmed with gratitude and hugs Barbara tightly. "She = says she=20 wants to thank you guys and thank God there are good people = like=20 you."

The family spent their first night at = Barbara's home=20 and for the first time, the little girl from a tiny village = outside=20 Baghdad had her own toys.

In a satin princess gown = wearing a=20 tiara, Teeba played with her new toys and then carted them = around=20 the house, afraid someone would take them from her. =

A year=20 ago, Barbara first approached me to do a story to help her = raise=20 money to bring Teeba to the states.

I put her in = touch with=20 Steve and Huda Sosebee of the Palestine Children's Relief = Fund.=20 Their organization helps bring children from the Middle East = to the=20 U.S. for medical care.

They believe compassion is = more=20 powerful than weapons.

"Complete strangers went = through the=20 effort of bringing this child here just by reading her name = in the=20 newspaper and that completely offsets and undermines = everything=20 Al-Qaida or the terrorists are saying against us." Steve=20 says.

Huda translates for Amal, "Without you without = your=20 help she would not be able to be here and she is honored to = meet=20 you."

Getting Teeba here was a difficult task. Iraq = had=20 recently changed its passport policy, so the family had to = wait=20 weeks to get new passports. When that finally happened, = there was a=20 limit placed on visas to leave the country and enter the = states.=20 Congressman Dennis Kucinich's office made calls on Teeba's = behalf.=20

Teeba and her grandmother moved into the Ronald = McDonald=20 House while Teeba awaits her first doctor visit with = reknowned=20 pediatric plastic surgeon, Arun Gosain, M.D. of Rainbow = Babies and=20 Children's Hospital.

Meanwhile, on her third day in=20 Cleveland, Barbara made her first wish come true. She took = her to=20 Wigs for Kids at Jeffrey Paul Salon in Rocky River to be = fitted for=20 her new hair piece.

Teeba made it clear that she = wants her=20 hair long and blonde. "All the girls in the Middle East love = long=20 blonde hair because of Barbie." Huda = explains.

Despite=20 language barriers, cultural and religious differences two = families=20 came together for the sake of a child. A simple act of = kindness that=20 Barbara hopes might bring a moment of peace to a family in = the midst=20 of war.

"God would not have brought her this far if = it wasn't=20 going to work out so I'm just gonna take each day as it = comes."=20

Teeba's is allowed to stay in the United States = until=20 January. Next week, her medical journey begins. If you'd = care to=20 donate to her cause, The Teeba Furat Fund is set up at any = National=20 City Bank.

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