Iraqi boy released from hospital, will stay at mosque

A 12-year-old Iraqi boy who came to Taipei last month to receive medical treatment was discharged yesterday from the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital after being fitted with a prosthetic foot and hand.

Khaldon better known in his local community as Aldon, lost his right hand and left foot as a result of a cluster bomb explosion in the front courtyard of his family's home in April during the US-led war on Iraq. He will be moving to the Taipei Grand Mosque for temporary residence until his doctors say he can go home.

It is hoped that the successful treatment of Aldon will serve as a beginning for the hospital and the Eden Social Welfare Foundation, which has sponsored his trip, in helping more children from around the world who are war victims, an Eden spokesperson said.

Aldon's would not have been possible without the humanitarianism and professional skills of the Far Eastern surgeons and the financial assistance of the Far Eastern International Bank, the spokesperson said.

A surgical team performed a lengthy operation on Aldon Nov. 10, reshaping his maimed right hand which only had a thumb remaining after the bombing, and cutting a protruding bone from his right leg to allow for a prosthetic foot and hand to be fitted.

To cheer up Aldon, the Eden foundation organized a ballroom dance show, including several dancers confined to wheelchairs, at the hospital Thursday, to show the boy that one can enjoy life even if one has a disability.

The foundation decided to sponsor Aldon to come to Taiwan after receiving a report from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in July.

The Hashemite Charitable Society for Soldiers with Special Needs in Jordan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' liaison office in Jordan were instrumental in arranging Aldon's trip, according to the Eden spokesperson.