IRAQ: With a heart; another update

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Amenah Ala Thabit, the 2-year-old Iraqi girl with a congenital heart defect, is tenatively scheduled for surgery Feb. 11 at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Also, Amenah’s mother is being treated for adult-onset diabetes, a major problem in Iraq due to a diet rich in sugar and starch. Mother and daughter were flown from Haditha, Iraq, to Nashville through the efforts of Marines from the 3rd battalion, 23rd regiment, part of the Camp Pendleton-based Regimental Combat Team 5.

The two will stay at a private home until the surgery, the spokeswoman said. Medical personnel are donating their services.

— Tony Perry in Al Asad, Iraq