Capt. Keith Compton and baby Noor
Ashley's cousin Keith, who's serving as a pediatrician with the 10th Mountain Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team in Iraq, has been taking care of a baby with a birth defect for the past 3 weeks. He was one of the doctors that diagnosed the baby -- referred to as baby Noor -- with myelomeningocele spina bifida, a birth defect in which the backbone and spinal cord do not close before birth.
He recently told his mom he'd been extra busy lately because there's been a lot of press interest in what he and the fine folk from the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment’s Charlie Company are doing. Capt. Fournier, Lt. Morgan and other soldiers from Charlie Company have been trying hard to arrange medical care for the baby in the United States. Their efforts paid off when several organizations offered to support the endeavor financially and logistically. Prior to this, Keith and his team had decided that with lack of resources in Iraq, the baby wouldn't live for too long. They have declared her medically fit to fly to Atlanta where doctors will operate on the tumor. The soldiers have even lobbied to get passports and visas for the child's parents.
Regardless of what you think of the war, this is a great story of the American will. Keith lefta good practice stateside to serve his country in Iraq when the Reserves were his unit was called [ed: Thanks, Brian]. We know his wife, his kids and parents are really proud of what he is doing. As are we.
He recently told his mom he'd been extra busy lately because there's been a lot of press interest in what he and the fine folk from the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment’s Charlie Company are doing. Capt. Fournier, Lt. Morgan and other soldiers from Charlie Company have been trying hard to arrange medical care for the baby in the United States. Their efforts paid off when several organizations offered to support the endeavor financially and logistically. Prior to this, Keith and his team had decided that with lack of resources in Iraq, the baby wouldn't live for too long. They have declared her medically fit to fly to Atlanta where doctors will operate on the tumor. The soldiers have even lobbied to get passports and visas for the child's parents.
Regardless of what you think of the war, this is a great story of the American will. Keith left
1 Comments:
It's great you put this story up on your blog. I just wanted to let you know that Keith Compton is not in the reserves, he is a full time Army pediatrician. He also didn't have a private practice in the states- he was assigned to the Ireland Army Community Hospital at Ft. Knox. He is a great guy and we all wish him the best and a safe return home.
By
Brian, at January 2, 2006 at 9:37 AM
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