First Surgery Over For Baby Noor
The Iraqi infant known as baby Noor underwent surgery Monday for her spinal birth defects, and doctors said the operation, the first of at least three, went well.
Three-month-old Noor al-Zahra, who was born with spina bifida, was "doing well" and was in recovery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said hospital spokesman Kevin McClelland.
The infant's grandmother and father cried "tears of joy and relief when they learned she was out of surgery and in recovery," said Helen Shepard of Childspring International, the group that provided a host family for them and will arrange medical care when Noor gets back to Iraq.
Hospital officials declined to release additional information about the baby's condition, saying more details will be released later Monday.
"They are just feeling so blessed that things went well. ... They are anxious to see her," Shepard said of the family. "They never expected so much help from the U.S. Army."
Baby Noor was discovered several weeks ago by U.S. troops raiding a house in Abu Ghraib, a poverty-stricken district in Iraq west of Baghdad. The soldiers noticed paralysis in the baby's legs and what appeared to be a tumor on her back.
Spina bifida prevents the backbone and spinal cord from closing before birth. The tumor was actually a fluid-filled sac containing part of the baby's spinal cord and membranes that are supposed to cover the spinal cord.
The soldiers enlisted the help of a variety of officials and social service organizations. Through those efforts, Noor, her grandmother and her father were brought to the United States late last month.
Pfc. Justin Donnelly, with the Georgia National Guard, said he hopes
"It's really gratifying to know that my action and the actions of my platoon and my unit could help this little girl," Donnelly told CBS News.
In Monday's surgery, the first in a series, doctors planned to place her spinal cord in its proper place down the center of the back and cover it with muscle and other tissue.
Doctors have said they were worried about how well the girl will be monitored for complications after she returns to Iraq later this year. And even if the operations are a success, doctors predict she will need to use a wheelchair.
Dr. Roger Hudgins, a pediatric neurosurgeon who agreed to take the case, said the baby would have died without medical intervention. With surgery, her chances of survival are good, he said.
Children's Healthcare is providing treatment for free. The surgery and accompanying care would cost about $200,000 if it were billed, officials have said.