THERE'S STILL HOPE (18 july 2006)
In this time when the Iranian leaders are trying to stir up as much hatred as possible against Israel and America, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that there are also people in the Islam world who can recognize good things and honestly report about it.
On the site IslamOnline, I read the following article, which you should read if if you want to prevent yourself from believing all islamites are as stupid and irresponsible as Mr Ahmadinejad shown above.
CHICAGO — Limo driver Abdul Faraj is recovering from a transplant surgery at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital after one of his regular customers donated him a kidney.
"He gave me part of his body. He saved my life," Abdul Faraj, a diabetes sufferer whose kidneys were failing despite a three-times-a-week dialysis regime, told area television stations, reported Reuters.
Minnesota businessman Dave Baker has used Abdul Faraj, who moved here 26 years ago from Lebanon, as his driver on trips to Chicago for several years.
But on recent trips he could not get over how Abdul Faraj was wasting away. His kidney failure was sending him to an early grave.
Making small talk months ago, Baker learned of Abdul Faraj's poor health and struggle to find a donor.
"At that time, he tells me, 'What's your blood type?' I tell him O-positive," Abdul Faraj said. "He said, 'I'm 0-positive. I'll give you one.'"
On Thursday, Dave donated his kidney to Abdul. Doctors say the men are responding well to their procedures.
"It's like you're dreaming and your dream come true," said a jubilant Abdul Faraj.
Helping Others
Baker, an advertising salesman, is out of the hospital and expected to fully recover within weeks.
"This was an opportunity to stop, slow down, take a look around and try to help someone," Baker told local television.
Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital said the surgery was less traumatic because the kidney was removed laprascopically, using small cuts and an internal video camera.
"It's mentally taxing maybe, but on the whole a good thing," said Baker. "Physically I feel great."
One of their relatives said "only in America" could two people from different continents have their paths cross in a limousine and have the medical technology to save the life of one with a live organ donation from the other.
Seventy-five-thousand people in the U.S. are kidney donors.
Living kidney donations are not new. The first successful one was in 1954.
Abdul Faraj had been on dialysis for about a year, but at this point his doctors say he may be free from that burden.
He hopes to get back to work to drive Baker wherever he wants to go.
"You can't say what you feel in you heart. I'm very happy. I appreciate Mr. Dave and his family who accepted this decision."
