Matt Willingham 
This is Yaghmoor.
Hailing from the disputed city of Kirkuk, Yaghmoor and her family are Turkmen, Iraq’s 3rd largest ethnicity and a group often at odds with their Arab and Kurdish neighbors.
But Yaghmoor’s recent heart procedure wasn’t marked by tension between neighbors. In fact, her parents were bombarded with something they didn’t seem to expect: kindness.
Despite their own regional backlog of children in need, the Kurdish heart team here in Sulaymaniyah didn’t discriminate or deny the family treatment. The head cardiologist, Dr. Aso, just shrugged when I asked him about serving other ethnicities:
“We just see a child who needs help. This is what is important for us.”
Yaghmoor received her procedure and was discharged with a clean bill of health this morning. Her family left looking groggy but grateful to a group of people who could have ignored them but chose to lean in and help.
But the same could be said for you. You’re here, reading about a random child in some (probably) faraway country. You may have even once considered Yaghmoor’s people to be your ‘enemy,’ or at least not worth your time. But here you are, and you “just see a child who needs help.” This is what’s important for you.
Thank you. There are more Yaghmoors out there, and we can’t wait to serve them with you!
