One Of G-d's Small Miracles, 11/30/07

From time to time, I'm going to try and post items that may not have much to do with the overall theme of this site...or then again, they may everything to do with it.

This week's miracle comes from southern California, where a young boy who was despicably ambushed and left for dead is being healed, thanks to G-d's mercy and the divinely inspired kindness,mercy and skill of his fellow humans.



Little Youssif, 5, was playing outside of his home in central Baghdad last January when he was suddenly grabbed by unknown `men',(I can barely dignify these scum with the name) doused in gas, and set on fire.

He lived, but was horribly scarred, disabled and in constant pain.

After his story was broadcast on American television, The Children's Burn Foundation agreed to pay for Youssif and his family to come to the United States for medical treatment where he's being treated by Dr. Peter Grossman, a plastic surgeon with the Grossman Burn Center who's donating his services.

Youssif is on the road to recovery after an amazing surgical technique in which Dr. Grossman inserted saline balloons in Youssiff's neck and face to provide more `good skin' by stretching it, so the worst of the scar tissue could be removed..and after surgery that took 3 1/2 hours, Dr. Grossman successfully removed the worst of Youssiff's scars and repaired his lower lip.

Doctor Grossman was amazed at how thick the scar tissue was -- about half an inch thick and "hard as wood."

When the tissue was removed, Youssif's jaw immediately relaxed, meaning that for the first time since he was attacked,there's hope he may soon be able to eat normally again. In a few weeks, when the swelling subsides, there will be other surgery to work on Youssif's looks...but this was the major one, and it went incredibly well.

"For a 5-year-old boy, he has shown a lot of courage in this process," Grossman said. "I mean he does not like it at all. But he knows this is a necessary evil."

He added, "My hope is that I can show him that it was worth it."

And Youssif's mother, Zainab? "I thank the Americans so much.They really helped my son in ways no one else did."

It is one of G-d's small miracles that the plight of a small boy in a faraway country could move people in this way..and proof again that Americans are some of the kindest and most generous people on the planet.

Take that, bin-Laden. Back at you, al-Sadr, Ahmadinejad and Zawahiri....

Have a peaceful Sabbath.