Iraqi girl arrives for heart surgery

NEW YORK, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- An 8-year-old Iraqi girl has arrived in New York for surgery to repair a congenital heart defect after a month's delay because of the Iraqi elections.

Zahra'a Ali Jasem is expected to have her operation Wednesday at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, Newsday reported. She and her family are staying at Ronald McDonald House in Great Neck.

The little girl's trip was arranged in December, but her father's visa was delayed and then Iraq's borders were closed for the parliamentary election. During the weekend, Zahra'a, two other children and their families traveled from Baghdad to Amman and then flew to Kennedy International Airport.

The three children's surgery was arranged by the Rotary Club's Gift of Life International "Project Iraqi Hearts." The other two children are being treated in Pennsylvania.

Michael Quane said that surgery for the Iraqi children has to be delayed until they are older because pediatric cardiologists are not available in the country to give them aftercare. As a result, the surgery is more risky than it would have been if they had received it when they were toddlers.