Alaa Khalid Hamdan
MEDIA ALERT– November 25, 2005
Contact: Ashley Severance (321) 409-8653
Cole Miller (323) 445-6701
Alan Pogue (512) 423-9812
WHAT:
Injured three-year-old Iraqi girl arriving in Orlando from Al Qaim, Iraq
WHERE:
Orlando International Airport, Terminal 4, Delta Air Lines # 2095
WHEN: 1:05 AM
OVERVIEW
Alaa’ Khalid Hamdan, a 3-year-old Iraqi girl who urgently needs surgery to remove micro-shrapnel from her eye to avoid the risk of permanent blindness, arrives in Orlando on November 26, 2005.
Alaa’ was injured in ongoing violence in Al Qaim, an Iraqi city near the Syrian border. A tank round struck the family’s home on May 3, 2005. Two of Alaa’s brothers, and three of her cousins, all young children, were killed. Alaa’ miraculously survived.
Ashley Severance, a 22-year-old law student from Melbourne, Florida, worked intensively for several months to secure pro-bono medical treatment for Alaa’ and accommodations for the family while Alaa’ undergoes medical treatment. Ashley has a 3-year-old daughter of her own, and concern for Alaa’s eyesight and physical well-being prompted her to pursue this humanitarian mission, modeled after two missions to Iraq to bring children to the United States for medical treatment organized by Cole Miller and Alan Pogue, co-founders of NoMoreVictims.org. Miller, who helped to organize and fund the effort to get medical treatment for Alaá, hopes this third effort will serve as a model and inspire other communities to assist injured Iraqi children.
Alan Pogue, a documentary photographer from Austin, Texas, is accompanying Alaa’ and her father to the United States. This is Alan’s third trip to the Middle East to help war-injured Iraqi children.
The offices of Senators Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) and Barbara Boxer (D-California), and Representatives Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Jim McDermott (D-Washington), and Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), helped make Alaa’s medical treatment possible by sending letters of support to the U.S. Embassy/Amman.
PRESS:
Members of the press interesting in covering the arrival of Alaa’ and her family and/or other aspects of the story: the struggle to secure the safe passage of the family from war-torn Al Qaim to Amman, Jordan, the medical care Alaa’ will now receive, the attack which injured Alaa’ and killed two of her siblings, and how participants hope this medical relief initiative may serve to help other injured Iraqi children, are invited to call Cole Miller at 323-445-6701 or Ashley Severance at 321-409-8653. Alan Pogue will be available for interviews upon his arrival from Amman; he can be reached at 512-423-9812.
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