Do you remember the story of the “miracle baby”? In 2005, American troops in Iraq arranged to
have baby Noor’s life saving surgery in the United States of America. CNN did a recent article, March 20, 2013,
that describes an update of where she is now and all she’s overcome. When American troops discovered Noor, her
family had just been told that she had spina bifida, and that there was nothing
that could be done for her in Iraq. As
confirmed by Hockenberry and Wilson, baby Noor showed manifestations of spina
bifida with the presence of a sac on her lower back, along with paralysis of
her lower extremities and urinary system distress (2011).
After
Noor’s surgery, she spent the next 6 months recovering in the United States
within in the hospital and 2 foster families.
Then, she was shipped back to Iraq where her family was presented with
the huge responsibility of taking care of her with very little resources. The article talks about the “unfinished
miracle”, and this is why. After
surgery, parents need constant guidance as to how to encourage and stimulate
their child as they grow and develop (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2011).
I chose
this article because it was very surprising to me at how the American troops
left the situation. It seems as though,
ill-sounding, Noor and her family would have been better off had that American
troops remained uninvolved. I must say
that I am disappointed at how this situation transpired. Although I believe the troops had good
intentions, they caused more challenges for Noor’s family in the long run.
It
seems very evident to me that the main factor in this situation is the economy
in which Noor and her family live. If
there had been available resources in Iraq, Noor could have accessed the
surgery and treatment she needed, and her family could have consistently
received the guidance they needed to maximize Noor’s recovery. I can’t help but assume that there are also
political factors in this situation due to the fact that the war was active and
American troops were involved.
Basu, M. (March
20, 2013). Iraq’s baby Noor: the unfinished miracle. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/03/world/baby-noor/index.html?hpt=wo_t2
Hockenberry, M.
J. & Wilson, D. (2011). Wong’s nursing care of infants and children (9th
ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc.
Thank you for bringing this article to my attention for I had never heard the story of “Iraq’s miracle baby”. The article was a sad one to read and it is unfortunate that attempts to help Noor were not as successful as they could have been and that she is not able to lead a normal life. This article also brings to my mind the fact that not all countries are as privileged as we are in the United States. Most of us are very fortunate and quality health care is easily accessed. I think its important that we remind ourselves of how good we have it and strive to help others obtain these same benefits.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the role of a nurse would have helped greatly in this situation. The main duty of the nurse would have been family planning and education. Before sending Noor back home to her family in Iraq certain preparations should have been taken. Her current condition and expected progression related to her disease should have been assessed. Once a generalized outcome for Noor’s condition was decided upon, a medical professional could then formulate a treatment plan for Noor. The nurse could assist in this situation by connecting with the family and advocating for the patient. The nurse would be able to educate the family about spina bifida and what type of things they could expect from their daughter. According to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) many people with spina bifida experience problems with mobility, incontinence, urinary infections, sores on the skin and an allergy to natural rubber (2011). Having knowledge of these complications before they occurred could have helped Noor’s family be better prepared to care for her.
The American troops were trying to do a good thing and create a better life for baby Noor, but the execution was not completely thought out. They only attempted to fix the immediate problem at hand and did not consider what type of complications way occur down the road. By implementing a care plan and family education that involved available resources this story could have been one of success.
References
Spina bifida. (2011, March 18). Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spinabifida/treatment.html
This is such a powerful and moving article Courtney. You can’t help but feel so deeply for Noor, the family, and her unfinished story. As Hannah had mentioned it’s like living in two different worlds. Sometimes we as individuals forget how fortunate we are as U.S citizens with access and availability of excellent health care. As we continue to learn about public health, I feel it is extremely important to remember thinking about community and population locally; however the people around the world is our community and fellow human beings too. It is wonderful people can reach out and provide relief services; however, there is the need to critically look at the problem of what they really need, and realistically help them find the resources necessary and solve their own problems. This also goes back to our previous lessons by using upstream thinking like providing pre and during pregnancy nutrition and health trends needed within the community.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised, how doctors had known prior to sending Noor home that walking would not be a possibility and sent her home in the condition she was in. In addition, it was known ongoing treatment was needed. However, with the ongoing war it must have been extremely difficult to coordinate with the country. Although there were many resources Noor and her family need after her initial surgery, a nurse would have been extremely important with her road to recovery. Much counseling and education was needed in Noor’s case as Hannah mentioned. A RN could have looked at the family’s condition and educate them on what available health resources (although minimal) are available for Noon in Iraq. According to mayo clinic, coping and support is very important to spina bifida patients to deal with anger, frustration, fear, and sadness (2012). The video had mentioned how Noor was very quiet and reserved so she may not be expressing her concerns openly with the family. Also it would be equally important for other members to get the same counseling.
I hope in the long run Noor and her family will find the support they need whether the is the U.S. or people of Iraq. This little girls story is remarkable, and deserves the resources for bright future!
Basu, M. (March 20, 2013). Iraq’s baby Noor: the unfinished miracle. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/03/world/baby-noor/index.html?hpt=wo_t2
Mayo Clinic. (2012) Spina bifida. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/spina-bifida/DS00417/DSECTION=coping-and-support.
ReplyDeleteI find this article to be difficult to discuss. I believe this to be a situation where there is no right answer. There seems to have been a break in communication with the family and American troop involved with arranging baby Noor’s surgery in the United States. A lot of what could have caused this problem would have been the family’s lack of education and understanding to what kind of disability their daughter was dealing with. What I have found is that families in America who have children with spina bifida develop a plan that involves the healthcare staff working with the family to meet the child’s needs and is called Individualized Family Service Plan (Spina Bifida, 2011). No matter the end result of Noor’s surgery, the resources were not available for her in Iraq as they are in the United States and so her family was going to face further challenges regardless of the success of the surgery.
Do I believe then that America should not have become involved? No. I believe it is important as we think as nurse’s that we look at care as it applies to the individual. If our help was wanted when it was offered, it would be our responsibility to help to the best of our capabilities. As unfortunate as it is, with no other option than keeping baby Noor in the U.S., her care was going to deteriorate from the absence of knowledge and health staff in Iraq. I believe more could have been done to prepare and equip the family with what needed to be done with Noor, but I am uncertain as to when the right time would have been for America’s aide to discontinue and be put to the hands of the family and Iraq healthcare. When third world countries are in play, the answer is not so simple and then becomes a question of others who need our help that are in the same situation and how we can help them and whether the country wants our help or involvement with their way of life. There is no right answer here with too many stakeholders involved.
Spina Bifida. (2011, June) NICHCY. Retrieved from http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/spinabifida
I have not heard of this story, so thank you for bringing it to our attention. This unfortunately is one of many sad stories that come from Iraq and the Middle East. It’s sad that the United States doctors didn’t follow up with this little girl since they knew of the health complications she would endure in the future. I also think it’s horrible that the outcome could have easily been different. Had she received the follow-up visits with specialized doctors to treat her, her life could have been dramatically better. Also, if her family had the needed education in order to take care of their little girl properly their lives would’ve all been easier.
ReplyDeleteAs stated above, it’s hard to watch this happen when our healthcare system is so different here in the United States. Had she stayed in the US instead of being taken back to Iraq her quality of life could have also greatly improved. I think it’s wonderful that the soldiers took action and got her the help that she needed, but in the grand scheme of things it would’ve almost been better to not treat her at all than to forget about her. According to WebMD had Noor gotten leg braces at the time she would start to walk her joints would’ve been protected and would’ve aided her. Also, frequent doctor visits are needed to make sure treatments are working and to see if the child needs more surgery (2011).
I can’t begin to imagine how many hardships this family has gone through and it is devastating that Noor is suffering. It has to be extremely hard with the war going on to get her the treatment she needs. Hopefully with more light being shed on her once again she will get the attention she needs and doctors will help her once again and keep helping her.
References
WebMD. (March 21, 2011). Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/spina-bifida-treatment-overview?page=3.
This story is a great example of an ethical dilemma. On one hand there is a child that can live a full and mostly normal life with the right medical attention, on the other hand, as you mentioned, we have to consider her economic situation. Every decision has repercussions both good and bad even if it was initially meant to do good, I would tend to agree with you that this decision was not well thought out. The wellbeing of the child was only taken into consideration at the time of the surgery, which was a very generous and altruistic act, but sending her home to a war-torn country in a family with limited resources was less than ideal.
ReplyDeleteThe surgery has already been preformed so now the focus needs to be providing support to Noor and her family. I was very pleased to read that, “Childspring International, the Atlanta-based Christian charity that sponsored her stay in the United States in 2006, said it was setting up a special Baby Noor Fund so it could channel donations specifically to Noor's family (Basu, 2013).” This will provide follow-up care for the child and at least take the financial burden out of a still difficult situation.
In the future I hope anyone choosing to help in situations such as these weigh all the pros and cons and focus on minimizing harm prior to making these types of decisions. All aspects of the child’s life including resources, family support, and financial support need to be taken care of if they are to live a full life with a chronic illness such as spinal bifida. Great article!
Basu, M. (March 20, 2013). Iraq’s baby Noor: the unfinished miracle. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/03/world/baby-noor/index.html?hpt=wo_t2
Courtney – This is a great example of the human spirit and how people can help others overcome what would otherwise be a tragic event. It’s hard to imagine living in a country where there is nothing that can be done for your child, despite there being a treatment available.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading about Noor and her story, one of the first things I thought of was Season 7 of Grey’s Anatomy. In the fight for chief-resident one of the doctors, Dr. Alex Karev, brings over 12-orphaned children from Africa to perform life-changing surgeries pro bono. One of the children is eventually adopted by Meredith and Derek and is able to continue to recover in an ideal environment. What about the other 11 children? Despite what I would like to believe the orphanage, just like Noor’s family, probably doesn’t have the necessary human and material resources available to continue the proper care.
The 2005 publication Surgery and Healing in the Developing World discusses in-depth stories of performing surgery in developing countries. Although it talks about surgery extensively, it also interestingly says that “surgery is a very labor- and equipment-intensive process, and we deal with concentrated effort invested in single individual patients, one at a time! Shouldn’t these developing countries just forgo curative services such as surgery and concentrate on population-wide preventative services in public health instead?” (Geelhoed, 2005). I wouldn’t consider the American soliders saving the little girl as wrong, but I don’t think the future consequences for her family were thought out. In the future, an emphasis should be placed on educating the population on preventing spina bifida so such future occurrences don’t occur. How can we do that?
It is well know that folic acid helps aid in the preventing of neural tube defects such as spina bida. The CDC reports that “globally there are more than 300,000 babies born with neural tube defects each year. Expanding the reach of global folic acid fortification in developed and developing countries can lead to the prevention of 150,000-210,00 neural tube defects per year” (2011). Healthcare professionals, such as nurses, need to continue to educate the population on the importance of doing preventative care within the scope of their environment to decrease the number of life-saving surgeries like Noor. Just remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Reference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, November 14). Global health programs: Global initiative to eliminate folic acid-preventable neural tube defects. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/programs/folicacid.htm.
Geelhoed , G. (2005). Surgery and healing in the developing world. Landes Bioscience. Retrieved from http://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/dhmc-internetupload/file_collection/geelhoed_surgery.pdf