GI's hope for Christmas miracle

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A group of Georgia soldiers is hoping for a Christmas miracle for a 3-month-old Iraqi baby with a birth defect.

First Lt. Jeff Morgan, a member of the Georgia Army National Guard and a single father of five, has finally found a doctor back home who has agreed to operate on little Noor, if Morgan and his buddies can get her to the United States. Otherwise, as the soldiers all know, she will soon die.

Noor, whose name means light in Arabic, was born with a severe form of spina bifida. Iraqi doctors lack the resources to treat her.

She was given 45 days to live but so far she has beaten the odds and turns 3 months old Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said.

Morgan had been furiously e-mailing friends and contacts in Atlanta to get help for Noor. Now, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has stepped forward and is offering to treat the child.